Mining in Nigeria and environmental protection: Examining the legal and institutional frameworks

It is no longer news that the economic drive of the present government in Nigeria to increase revenue generation include among other things exploration and mining of solid minerals. Nigeria in her efforts to diversify from being a mono economy majorly dependent on crude oil seeks to develop her vast mineral resources. However, it is not without gain saying that mining and mineral explorations despite its economic benefits, has great potentials for environmental damage if not sustainably managed. The paper seeks to explore the need for the country to explore the resources, the implication for the environment and the imperative for necessary precautions to prevent and minimize adverse environmental impacts within the ambit of the law and established international principles and chart the way forward to aid reduction in pollution. This paper adopted the doctrinal research design. Data was sourced from both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources of data were statutes like Nigeria Minerals Mining Act and the regulations; while secondary sources were garnered from books, journal articles, conference papers, research report, newspapers and Internet. The paper discovered that Nigeria is not bereft of laws to regulate the mining industry, and it is up to date with relevant international best practices. However, the country needs to strengthen the regulatory agencies to ensure compliance going forward.