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VOL. 12, ISSUE 8 (2025)
Environmental Protection in Nigeria's Upstream Petroleum Sector: An Appraisal of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021
Authors
Dr. Ibrahim Aliyu Shehu, Dr. Olukayode Aguda, Abubakar Sadiq Usman
Abstract
This research critically
examines the environmental regulatory framework governing Nigeria’s upstream
petroleum sector under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, with a particular
focus on the role of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission
(NUPRC). Despite the PIA’s comprehensive provisions for environmental
protection, including risk registers, evaluation studies, waste management
strategies, and the establishment of the Upstream Environmental Remediation
Fund, significant challenges remain in its effective implementation. These
challenges include institutional fragmentation, overlapping mandates between
regulatory bodies, weak enforcement mechanisms, and the limited legal
enforceability of environmental rights, which hinder the desired environmental
outcomes in the petroleum sector. The research identifies a crucial gap in the
literature regarding the practical application of the PIA’s environmental
provisions and the institutional challenges that have obstructed its effective
implementation. It highlights the persistent disconnect between policy
intentions and real-world outcomes, particularly in the regulation of oil
spills, gas flaring, and hazardous waste disposal. Drawing on international
frameworks like the Basel Convention and the Stockholm Convention, as well as
comparative experiences from Ghana and Brazil, the research recommends
enhancing institutional capacity, clarifying inter-agency roles, promoting
transparency, incentivizing corporate accountability, and ensuring judicial
recognition of environmental rights. Using a doctrinal methodology, this study
explores primary and secondary legal sources, including statutes, regulations,
case law, and scholarly articles, to evaluate the adequacy of the PIA’s
environmental protection mechanisms. The research also critically analyses the
gaps in enforcement and the implementation challenges that hinder the
realization of the PIA’s objectives. Ultimately, this paper seeks to fill the
gap in scholarly discourse by offering actionable recommendations for improving
environmental governance within Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector,
contributing to the body of knowledge on petroleum regulation and environmental
law in developing nations.
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Pages:29-40
How to cite this article:
Dr. Ibrahim Aliyu Shehu, Dr. Olukayode Aguda, Abubakar Sadiq Usman "Environmental Protection in Nigeria's Upstream Petroleum Sector: An Appraisal of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021". International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, Vol 12, Issue 8, 2025, Pages 29-40
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