Rural Energy Poverty and Deforestation in Nigeria: Implications for Sustainable Development

Abstract

Nigeria faces a critical developmental crisis characterized by severe rural energy poverty, accelerating deforestation, and significant hindrances in achieving sustainable development. This study analyzes the intricate interdependencies among these elements, demonstrating how the pervasive inadequate access to clean and affordable energy in rural areas directly fuels dependency on unsustainable biomass, leading to widespread deforestation. This environmental degradation, in turn, intensifies climate change impacts, thereby compromising public health and undermining socio-economic stability of the society. This study conducted a comprehensive review of 77 published articles, selecting 50 for their direct relevance and contemporaneity. Investigating into the intricate connections among the key issues of the research. The analysis reveals that this complex situation is not merely a consequence of resource inadequacy but rather an indicative of deeper systemic problems, such as governance failures, a substantial policy-implementation gap, and entrenched historical factors. However, the study also highlights the transformative potential of integrated policy interventions, particularly those centered on a strategic clean energy transition and community-driven sustainable forest management. Such approaches offer synergistic benefits across environmental, health, and socio-economic parameters, addressing the disproportionate burden on vulnerable populations and fostering multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The findings underscore the imperative for holistic, equity-focused, and governance-strengthening strategies to handle this complex situation effectively.