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Journal of Environmental Law and Policy is an international, interdisciplinary journal that facilitates an understanding of environmental governance, policy and law issues not only by drawing upon and contributing to the environmental social sciences, but also linking the ecosystem health, natural resources, and social sciences. The aim of the journal is to promote communication among academia, government, business and industry, civil society groups, citizens’ action groups, and non-governmental organizations who are instrumental in the solving of environmental problems and grassroots level issues.
Environmental Protection and the Role of National Policies and Guidelines in Nigeria
Brown Etareri Umukoro*
Delta State University, Faculty of Law, Oleh Campus, Nigeria
Email: beumukoro@delsu.edu.ng | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5385-7820
Moses Ogorugba Omozue
Delta State University, Faculty of Law, Oleh Campus, Nigeria
Email: omozuemoses@gmail.com | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8707-4843
*Corresponding author
(2024) 04 (02) Journal of Environmental Law and Policy 211-234 https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp040208
Received: 14 July 2024
Accepted: 23 August 2024
Reviewed: 20 August 2024
Published: 31 August 2024
Revised: 21 August 2024
No. of Views:
No. of Paper Downloads:
National policies generally are meant to guide the government in decision making towards the achievement of a specific result. In desiring to improve on the environment, the Nigerian government has put in place a number of legislation and formulated policies and guidelines on the environment. However, whether there is a corresponding result is a subject matter of concern for all advocates of the right to protected environment in Nigeria. The article seeks to explore the contribution of the National Policy on the Environment (NPE) and other guidelines for the protection of the environment in Nigeria especially considering that they are mere action plans and policy statements. The article observes that the NPE and the guidelines are very comprehensive, all-embracing and ambitious. However, there is a significant gap between the guidelines, the legislation and their implementation in Nigeria. The article observes that the implementation of the NPE and the relevant guidelines presents enormous challenges as a result of the weak constitutional source from which the guidelines and policies were derived. Besides, the article finds that the objectives of the guidelines and the NPE have not been satisfactorily achieved as a result of a number of other factors which include corruption, lack of partnership with non-governmental stakeholders, the challenge of overlap among the administrative bodies and failure of the government to provide an effective medium for involving the public in the negotiation of policies and strategies for the protection of the environment.
Keywords: Environmental guidelines; Environmental agencies; Legal status; EGASPIN; National Policy
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Umukoro, B. E., & Omozue, M. O. (2024). Environmental Protection and the Role of National Policies and Guidelines in Nigeria. Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 04(02), 211-234. https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp040208
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Umukoro, Brown Etareri and Moses Ogorugba Omozue. 2024. “Environmental Protection and the Role of National Policies and Guidelines in Nigeria”. Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 04 (02): 211-234. https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp040208
Crossref: | https://doi.org/10.33002/jelp040208 |
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