RIGHT TO A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT: THE NIGERIA PERSPECTIVE

Right to a clean environment is what every living thing including human beings should enjoy in a society. It is a right that should not be compromised in any way. People who are not in a society where this right is enjoyed live in total discomfort and susceptible to various forms of illnesses and death in the extreme situation. This paper examines what right to a clean environment is all about and looks at some laws governing this in some jurisdictions and compared them to what is obtainable in Nigeria. In Nigeria, right to a clean environment is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria as amended but it is in Chapter II of the said Constitution which makes it non-justiciable. Effect of the non-justiciability is considered together with the impact on the Nigeria society at large. This paper goes further to make appropriate recommendations.