CONSTRAINTS TO IMPLEMENTATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS: NIGERIA PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

The bane of Nigeria legislation is lack of enforcement. The administrative agencies charged with enforcing the relevant environmental laws in Nigeria are unwilling to do so because of two possible reasons: financial inducement from the multinational oil companies operating in the country to leave and this could spell doom for the Nigerian economy which depends on oil for survival. Environmental regulatory laws provide loopholes for offenders and the penalties prescribed by most of the regulations are inadequate. The effect of this is that it militates against the application of the laws. Violators choose to contravene the laws and the sanctions enshrined in those laws are not stringent enough, as a result, the misuse of environmental resources persists. The paper concludes and recommend that the Nigeria government should put in more effort in enforcing these numerous environmental laws by making funds available for enforcement, closing its eyes against corruption, managing polluted environments with the various taxes paid, embarking on campaign and environmental awareness programs, providing more securities at our country borders. Government should direct it policies towards the building of functioning waste recycling companies to reduce the release of toxic and hazard waste in our environment.