AN EXAMINATION ON THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR COMBATING ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION IN NIGERIA’S OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY

Environmental pollution caused by oil and gas activities, particularly in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region, presents a significant global concern, resulting in extensive ecological degradation and adverse effects on public health and local livelihoods. Although oil exploration commenced in Nigeria in 1956, the existing legal and regulatory framework remains inadequate, weakened by poor enforcement, systemic corruption, and policy deficiencies. This study examines Nigeria’s environmental legal regime, identifies key institutional gaps, and proposes viable reforms aimed at enhancing environmental governance and promoting sustainable development. Adopting a doctrinal legal research methodology and comparative approaches. The findings reveal persistent unreliable oil spill data, flawed Joint Investigation mechanisms, and biased attribution of causality. Financial issues such as inadequate compensation, funding deficits, and the absence of full-cost environmental accounting further exacerbate the problem. Regulatory and enforcement deficiencies—characterized by fragmented legislation, overlapping mandates, institutional bias, and the exclusion of the oil and gas sector from the jurisdiction of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA)—have compounded the crisis. Organizational weaknesses, particularly poor inter- agency coordination and strained host community relations, also persist. A comparative analysis with legal frameworks in Norway and the United Kingdom reveals more effective models grounded in independent regulatory oversight, coherent policies, and robust enforcement mechanisms. Drawing from these insights, the study recommends the enactment of a comprehensive Environmental Protection Act, the institutionalization of independent environmental monitoring, the strengthening of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes, the establishment of a dedicated environmental remediation fund, and the enhancement of institutional independence. Additional proposals include the deployment of a broader range of enforcement tools, increased stakeholder collaboration, reforms to the JIV process, promotion of public participation, and capacity-building for the judiciary to ensure effective adjudication of environmental claims. Urgent and comprehensive legal reform is imperative to achieve environmental justice and ensure sustainable development in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.