“Nigerians have a war against trees, a war against nature… When Nigerians buy land, they cut everything; they cement the whole floor.”

Those were the words of the legendary folk and roots singer, Beautiful Nubia, describing Nigerians’ obsession with paving their compounds and leaving no space for greenery such as grass or trees. “Everybody is screaming to one day have money to buy land and build a house, then cut down all the trees,” the singer lamented during a stage performance last December.

Who are these folks stripping the soil all along the Lagos-Ibadan highway? Who's permitting this?

Why are we buying land, cutting all the trees and destroying the forest? Why do we hate our environment/nature so much? What is wrong with us?

But it's not too late to change… pic.twitter.com/VXUJiOCTUS

— Beautiful Nubia (@Beautiful_Nubia) December 16, 2025

Less than a week after Beautiful Nubia shared the video on X, another clip went viral. In it, men were seen dancing outside a building in a spacious compound whose entire visible floor was covered with indoor porcelain tiles. Beyond reinforcing the singer’s frustration — the complete absence of trees — the scene appeared to be a disaster waiting to happen because of the slippery nature of the tiles. To make matters worse, the dancers were mopping the tiled floor with water and soap, increasing the risk of dangerous slips.

Building experts have repeatedly warned that indoor tiles should never be used outdoors due to the risk of cracking, fading, and slipping in wet conditions. While outdoor tiles are designed to withstand rain, UV exposure, moss growth, and temperature changes, indoor tiles are not, making them unsafe for exterior use.

Incidentally, Beautiful Nubia’s lament and the tiled compound video surfaced at a time when Nigerians were already complaining about the absence of Harmattan during the festive period, a situation that intensified the heat of the dry season across the country. Ideally, Harmattan arrives in mid-November or, in some years, early to mid-December. However, the 2025 season failed to materialise throughout December in most parts of Nigeria, particularly in the South-West. Harmattan’s cold, dusty winds usually help moderate dry-season heat, but Nigerians were denied that relief as high temperatures persisted amid a nationwide drop in power supply.

This experience unfolded against the backdrop of a steady loss of trees in Nigerian communities. According to a recent study led by the University of California, Davis, the presence of trees around homes can protect heart health. The study found that urban neighbourhoods with more visible tree cover recorded lower rates of cardiovascular disease, with a four per cent reduction among people living near areas with higher tree density.

“Our findings suggest public health interventions should prioritise the preservation and planting of tree canopies in neighbourhoods,” Peter James, an associate professor in the university’s Department of Public Health Sciences, said. His conclusion aligns with earlier research linking greenery to reduced heart disease risk. A 2024 study by researchers at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, showed that residents of neighbourhoods with twice as many trees and shrubs had lower levels of a blood marker associated with heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers compared to those in areas with fewer trees.

Researchers explained that trees provide shade and cool their surroundings, helping to reduce heat that can aggravate heart conditions and even cause heatstroke in otherwise healthy people. Trees also help buffer noise, which has been linked to higher rates of cardiovascular disease. In a country like Nigeria, where the healthcare system remains strained, having trees nearby — an inexpensive intervention — could prevent costly and life-threatening illnesses.

Beyond heart health, the cooling effect and noise reduction provided by trees offer daily relief in crowded residential areas. Trees act as natural air conditioners, absorbing heat, releasing moisture, and reducing the “heat island” effect created when concrete and tiles replace soil and vegetation. A compound with even one or two mature trees can be several degrees cooler than one that is fully paved. In a country with unreliable electricity, noisy generators, and expensive solar power setups, this natural cooling is not a luxury; it is a necessity.

Trees also help clean the air we breathe. They absorb pollutants from vehicle exhaust, generators, and industrial activity, trapping dust and harmful particles on their leaves. In many urban neighbourhoods with heavy traffic or unpaved roads, trees serve as silent filters, improving air quality and reducing respiratory problems, particularly among children and the elderly. When trees are removed, these pollutants linger in the air and eventually settle into homes and lungs.

Another often overlooked benefit of trees is their role in water management. When rain falls on paved compounds, it has nowhere to soak into the ground. Instead, it rushes into drains, overwhelms them, and contributes to flooding. Trees and grass absorb rainwater, slow surface runoff, and help replenish underground water. The frequent flooding in many Nigerian cities is not only a failure of drainage infrastructure; it is also a consequence of replacing natural soil with concrete.

The negative effects of cutting down trees in residential areas are therefore immediate and personal. Homes become hotter, electricity costs rise, flooding worsens, air quality declines, and health risks increase. Yet many homeowners still view trees as a nuisance — something that sheds leaves, harbours insects, or disrupts “modern” aesthetics. In reality, a well-maintained tree poses far less danger than slippery tiles, exposed concrete, or extreme heat.

The irony is that Nigerians spend large sums trying to recreate what trees provide for free. We invest in fans, air conditioners, soundproofing materials, water pumps, and expensive medical care, while destroying the natural systems that reduce the need for these solutions in the first place. Planting and preserving trees remains one of the cheapest and most effective environmental actions any household can take.

Nigerians are not at war with trees because trees have failed us. We are at war with them because we misunderstand their value. Until that changes, our homes will continue to get hotter, our streets noisier, our floods more severe, and our health more fragile.