Evaluation of Nigerian Environmental Policies on Socioeconomic Lives

Running Head: EVALUATION OF NIGERIAN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES ON SOCIO-
ECONOMIC LIVES
Evaluating the Nigerian Government Environmental Policies on the socio-economic status of the
indigenes in the oil producing communities: A case study of Delta state
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NIGERIAN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES EVALUATION ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I want to thank the Almighty for the unforeseen support provided to me in carrying out
this research work. I also want to thank my family, friends and near and dear ones who have
directly or indirectly encouraged me in completing this research work. I extend my sincere note
of thanks to the professors and mentors who have constantly supported and encouraged me in
completion of the report work on time.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The thesis paper aims at evaluating the environmental policies and strategies by the
Government in regard to socio-economic status in the Niger Delta state. The socio-economic
aspects of education, unemployment and healthcare are considered in relation to the
environmental policies of the Federal government of Nigeria. The objectives of the study include
environmental policy effectiveness investigation, current environmental policy implication on
socio-economic lives of the people and evaluation of how new policy adaptation will help
improving the environment specially in the Niger Delta state region. It also focuses on finding
justification for organizational ambiguities and conflicts related to the implementation of
Environmental Impact Assessment tool (EIA) as a part of policy reform by the Government. The
research question tries to find answer to the significant impacts of environmental policies on
socio-economic status of Niger people.
Past research papers and relevant information in this field is used for supporting the data
analysis and critical evaluation of the paper. Nigerian Maritime Oil and Gas Sector (NMOGS) is
the most developed sectors that holistically supports the economic growth in the country. As a
result of increased oil production, the environment is adversely affected and so is the lives of the
people specially in the Niger Delta state. To reduce the degree of adversities, the Government
has continuously been reforming the environmental policies. But their effectiveness is been
questioned by the people as policy reformation is creating negative impacts on their socio-
economic lives. The tool of qualitative analysis of secondary data sources is used in this paper to
have a more comprehensive discussion of the topic.
Enhanced evaluation and critical analysis on the area of discussion provides evidence to
the fact that environmental policies have direct relation to the various socio-economic progress

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indicators namely education, unemployment and healthcare. The policies are also quite
ineffective in supporting development of the nation. The untold hardships of the people have
increased as a result of ineffectiveness of the environmental policies specially the Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) tool was unable to meet development standards of the nation. There is
a major implementation gap in the policies and lack of community support and failure of cultural
diversity cognizance are the root cases of ineffectiveness of the polices in supporting socio-
economic growth of the nation. It is therefore, highly recommended that the Government should
decentralize environmental responsibilities and a proper timeline should be maintained to
achieve sustainability of the environmental polices.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY................................6
Introduction..................................................................................................................................6
Rationale and relevance of the thesis...........................................................................................7
Aims and objectives.....................................................................................................................9
Structure of the thesis paper.......................................................................................................10
Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................................12
Introduction................................................................................................................................12
Tools and techniques for environmental policy assessment......................................................13
Environmental impacts appraisal- role of EIA..........................................................................14
Challenges faced by Nigerian strategies on environmental policies..........................................16
Policy theories support...............................................................................................................19
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY UNDERTAKEN FOR THE RESEARCH.............................21
Introduction................................................................................................................................21
Description of the area of case study.........................................................................................21
Evaluation of secondary sources of data....................................................................................23
Limitations of the study.............................................................................................................24
Ethical considerations................................................................................................................25
CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION..............................................................26
Introduction................................................................................................................................26
Historical know how of Oil and gas sector in Nigeria...............................................................27
Environmental impacts..............................................................................................................27
Comparison and evaluation of dual EIA system........................................................................29
Reasons for failure of EIA implementation...............................................................................31
An overall structure of education, unemployment and healthcare in Nigeria...........................32
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS...................................................35
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................35
Recommendations......................................................................................................................36
Future implications....................................................................................................................37
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................38

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LIST OF ACRONYMS
ACF Advocacy Coalition Framework
ACM Ambiguity Conflict Model
AI Administrative Implementation
DPR Department of Petroleum Resources
EI Experimental Implementation
EIA Environmental Impact Assessment
EIS Environmental Impact Statement
ERA Environmental Rights Action
FEPA Federal Environmental Protection Agency
FERC Federal Energy Regulation Commission
FGN Federal Government of Nigeria
FMENV Federal Ministry of Environment
FMPR Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources
GIAs Government Implementing-Agencies
IAIA International Association for Impact Assessment
IEA International Energy Agency
IMO International Maritime Organization
NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations
NES Nigerian Environmental Society
NESREA National Environmental Standards Regulations and Enforcement Agency
NIMASA Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency
NNPC Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
NMOGS Nigerian Maritime Oil and Gas Sector
NOSCP Nation Oil Spill Contingency Plan
NOSDRA National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency
NPA Nigerian Port Authority
NPE National Policy on Environment
PPPs Policies, plans and programmes

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SEA Strategic Environmental Assessment
SERAC Social and Environmental Rights Action
SI Symbolic Implementation
SIA Social Impact Assessment
WAGP West African Gas Pipeline
WB World Bank
WMSN Waste Management Society of Nigeria

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Introduction
The paper is a critique on the Nigerian Environmental policies and their effectiveness on
socio-economic status of the Niger Delta state peoples. It is quite unfortunate that only in recent
times environmental concerns has gained momentum in Nigeria whereas other developed nations
across the world have already moved ahead (Kadafa 2012). Until the Federal Government’s
decrees there was no sound legal framework for sustainable environmental protection in the
country. The adversities of toxic waste disposal increased awareness for environmental
protection and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, (FEPA) was enacted (Mohammed
2013). A number of environmental policy changes and new policy implementation has been
prominent in Nigeria by the Government till date, but the paper will focus on the evaluation and
review of EIA implementation in relation to Oil and Gas industries specially in the Delta state
region. EIA institutionalization has been done in 1990s with the aim of mitigating environmental
adversities by the help of a legal procedural implementation (Ite and Ibok 2013). The thesis
paper explores the effects of environmental policies in context of socio-economic development
of the nation with procedural problems in implementation of EIA. It also highlights the public
ambiguities and organizational conflicts resulting from policy implementation of EIA.
The study of the fundamental principles of the Nigerian environmental policy is highly
significant as it ensures a sustainable socioeconomic advancement based on effective
management of resources (Lompo and Trani 2013). In broader aspects, the paper addresses the
challenges on socio-economic development resulting from environmental policy implementation
by the Government. The government highly believes that the environmental contingencies can be
easily mitigated by the method of policy implementation and reformation but the regulatory