TACKLING OIL POLLUTION IN NIGERIA INLAND WATERS: THE EXTANT LAWS AND THE NEED FOR URGENT LEGISLATIVE APPROACH

Abstract

The susceptibility of the environment to damage and pollution is a global thing, and it is becoming alarming. The resultant effect is devastating situations which threaten the existence of mankind and the entire ecosystem. Pollution resulting from bush burning alone, flood and erosion, desertification and deforestation affects the lives of biotic creatures and thus, threaten survival of biodiversity, since their habitat are affected. In Nigeria, reports abound on daily basis of the dangerous trend arising from the negative influence of technological and scientific expeditions in the space, on the earth, and on internal waters due to high scale mineral exploration and exploitation, industrialization and even the unwholesome activities of the multinational oil corporations. Increasing oil spill and gas flare has adversely affected the inland waters leading to declining fish stock among other things and host diversity. There is an urgent need for the legislature to look into this aspect urgently and holistically. There are some international conventions to this effect, which Nigeria may resort to but some of them are obsolete and are yet to be domesticated. The writer has used his experience in the field using secondary data methodology to explain among others, internal waters, types of pollution, and regulations put in place to arrest the ugly trend.