The Dilemma of Implementing Effective Enviromental Policies In Nigeria

Abstract

Environmental problems in Nigeria are of different kinds and dimension, ranging from erosions, deforestation, water, land and air pollutions from the oil industries, industrial effluents up to dumping of refuse and toxic wastes. These problems are classified as natural, developmental, and socio-economic. In reaction to these, different administrations enacted some environmental policies like Oil Pipeline Act of 1958, Federal Protection Decree of 1989, the Endangered Species Decree of 1985, among others. This paper examined the purpose and impact of some of these environmental policies and the findings show that, these policies are cosmetic in conception with no objective structure for implementation to achieve the desired goals.

Keywords: Dilemma, implementation and environmental policies