Abstract

The Nigerian environment changes due to humanity’s anthropogenic activities. This study assessed the dynamics of land cover in Nigeria. Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) NDVI C6 (250 m) and Landsat (30 m) images were acquired and processed. The results from the MODIS images indicated that the vegetation in several hot spots had changed over decades across Nigeria; two of these hot spots, one in the Northeast and one in the Southwest, were selected for further assessment using the Landsat images. From these, results indicated that there was an increase in the Woodland/Gallery Forest by 3.51 percent and a decrease in Sand Dunes by 3.42 percent between 1987 and 2018. In addition, in the Southwest, there was a decrease in the Less Dense Forest by 33.8 percent and an increase in the Built-up area by 22.8 percent between 1986 and 2016. This study concluded that some intervention projects adopted by the government of Nigeria to address the challenges of desertification and deforestation in the Northeast yielded some positive impacts; however, the case is different in the Southwest, and its vegetation has been depleted at an alarming rate.