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An Impact Assessment of the National Policy on Guidelines and Standards for Environmental Pollution Control in Nigeria, 1991: A Case Study of the Niger Delta

Oil exploration and exploitation has been on-going in the Niger Delta region in several decades. This has had disastrous effects on the region’s biodiversity and socio-economic environment. More importantly, the peoples’ sources of livelihood have been greatly affected due to pollution resulting from gas flaring and oil spills from explorative and exploitative activities. In the face of all these, there are existing laws and policies aimed at controlling and preserving the environment from total destruction. The main focus of this paper is the evaluation of the impact of the national policy on environment particularly the Federal Government Policy on the “Guidelines and Standards for Environmental Pollution Control, 1991” as a regulatory instrument for environmental management in Nigeria. The findings based on secondary data reveals that policies as guiding principles and regulations are essential but the enforcement of these policies have not been effective enough to attain the desired objectives for which they are enacted. The paper posits that the lack of enforcement of the policy on the guidelines and standards for environmental pollution control in Nigeria in the Niger Delta region has resulted in the continuous degradation of the region’s environment, producing very severe hardship on the people as this directly affect the economic sources of survival. The country’s dependence on crude oil revenue buttresses the lackluster approach by the government to environment law enforcement in the Niger Delta region. Thus, oil spillages and gas flaring is continuing in the Niger Delta region.