Nigeria faces increasing environmental degradation due to industrialization, urban expansion, and the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources. Major pollutants such as untreated industrial effluents, emissions from fossil fuels, and unregulated waste disposal significantly impacted air, land, and water quality. These disruptions led to biodiversity loss, ecological imbalance, and adverse public health outcomes. Although Nigeria established numerous legal and regulatory frameworks including the FEPA Act of 1988 and the EIA Act of 1992 their enforcement remains largely ineffective due to weak institutional capacity, regulatory overlaps, and limited public engagement (Onibokun Egunjobi, 1999). This study examined the forms, causes, and consequences of environmental pollution in Nigeria and assessed the effectiveness of existing legal mechanisms for pollution abatement. The research utilized a qualitative framework grounded in document analysis of environmental policy literature and legal texts published. The findings indicated that while Nigeria possesses a relatively comprehensive legal architecture, enforcement gaps and fragmented governance significantly undermines pollution control efforts. The study concluded that strengthened institutional coordination, legal harmonization, and community participation are essential for advancing sustainable environmental protection.
Mba et al. (2025) studied this question.