Strengthening Climate Justice in Nigeria
Environmental advocates and legal experts have urged Nigerians to take advantage of the ongoing constitutional amendment process to push for comprehensive reforms of environmental laws. They emphasize the need to decentralize control over natural resources, particularly petroleum, as a critical step toward addressing pollution and climate injustices in oil-producing communities.
This call was made during a one-day hybrid forum organized by the Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN) in collaboration with the Nigeria Chapter of the International Law Association and Chima Williams and Associates. The event took place at EDEN’s headquarters in Benin City, Edo State. Participants expressed strong concerns about the current constitutional framework, which they argue grants the federal government absolute power over Nigeria’s oil wealth, leaving states, regulatory agencies, and affected communities powerless in their fight against pollution.
Barr. Chima Williams, Executive Director of EDEN, highlighted that the constitution gives the federal government control over all mineral resources, a monopoly that has failed to ensure environmental protection or accountability. “Until we revise these provisions, the fight for environmental justice will remain a losing battle,” he said. As a prominent environmental lawyer, Williams stressed that climate justice must begin with constitutional clarity that empowers states and courts to act decisively against polluting oil companies.
Comrade Alagoa Morris, Deputy Executive Director of EDEN, pointed out the worsening climate impacts in the Niger Delta, including frequent floods, failed harvests, and air pollution caused by military and security contractors involved in illegal crude oil spill remediation through combustion. “The burning of seized vessels and containers by military agents and NNPC contractors floods our environment with hydrocarbons, making clean air and water a luxury in the Niger Delta,” Morris stated. He noted that local communities are increasingly left to fend for themselves amid climate-induced disruptions to agriculture, worsened by crude oil pollution. “Lawyers are ready to help, but without scientific data and expert research, the polluters always escape liability,” he lamented.
Philip Jakpor, EDEN’s Director of Programmes, emphasized the role of the media in shaping public perception and driving accountability. He urged journalists to center climate stories on local realities, humanizing climate impacts by telling the stories of affected farmers, women, children, and linking their struggles to the role of fossil fuel corporations and government inaction.
Maimoni Ubrei-Joe, EDEN’s Director of Climate and Energy Justice, warned against distractions such as geoengineering, carbon markets, and waste-to-energy schemes, which he described as false solutions. “What we need is divestment from fossil fuels and a just transition to community-led renewable energy,” he stated.
Dr. Eghosa Ekhator, Associate Professor of International and Environmental Law at the University of Derby, UK, said Nigeria’s climate laws lack effectiveness and must be reworked to deliver justice. “The vulnerable are the most affected, yet they’re the least represented in court. We must empower communities to pursue climate litigation,” Ekhator said. He urged civil society groups to invest in legal education for grassroots communities so they can hold corporations and regulators accountable.
Eric Omare, a legal practitioner, explained how provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act can be used to demand reparations for environmental damage, while Prof. Ngozi Stewart of the University of Benin stressed the need to move “from law to impact” by strengthening environmental governance. Dr. Brown Umukoro of Delta State University advocated for youth and child-centered climate litigation, emphasizing the intergenerational consequences of today’s ecological failures.
The forum, attended by environmentalists, women-led groups, academics, legal professionals, and journalists both in-person and virtually, concluded with a consensus on the need for a grassroots-driven, legally-backed movement for environmental accountability in Nigeria’s extractive sector.
