"With so much illegal logging going on across the country, coupled with the very little replanting programmes, there may be no forest left by 2010," Asiodu said at a public lecture.

Asiodu, a fomer chief economic adviser to the president, said contrary to the recommendation of the UN Food And Agriculture Organisation that 25 percent of the country's land area should be under forest, Nigeria has only 4.9 percent.

"An FAO country report of 2003 gives total area under forests in Nigeria, natural and planted, at 4,456,000 hectares (about 11 million acres) out of a land area of 92,400,000 hectares, which is about 4.9 per cent," he said, adding that for the same year planted forests accounted for only 325,000 hectares of the total.

More than 70 per cent of the nation's population depend on fuel wood, which is not used efficiently without fuel stoves.

Contrary to other countries in the region, Nigeria shows no sign of moving away from its dependence on wood for fuel, he said.

He said an estimated 484 plant species in 112 families including many medicinal and fruit trees, are also threatened with extinction because of habitat destruction and deforestation.

Asiodu listed the consequences of deforestation which include loss of soil through erosion, reduction in soil fertility and the productivity of farms.

He advised that the ban on export of logs should be maintained until the FAO target of 25 percent of land under forest was achieved.

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