“The environmental legal framework and resolution of environmental disputes in the Nigerian petroleum sector”
Country of Study
South Africa
Institution
University of the Witwatersrand
Expected Year of Completion
2024
Thematic Area
Climate Change, Natural Resources and the Environment
Education
Felicia is pursuing a PhD in Law at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and is a Senior State Counsel at the Rivers State Ministry of Justice, Nigeria. She has an MSc in Law, specialising in Dispute Resolution from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and will complete her studies in 2024.
Research Summary
Felicia’s research aims to assemble and analyse empirical data on the resolution of petroleum-related disputes in the Niger Delta region from relevant institutions. Some authors have attributed the persistence of the environmental degradation and disputes in the Niger Delta region to defects in dispute resolution processes, which are further aggravated by deficiencies in Nigeria’s environmental legal framework. However, no systematically collected empirical data on the dispute resolution processes regarding petroleum-related environmental disputes in the region have been presented. This makes it uncertain whether the cases cited by the authors are typical of the dispute resolution processes regarding petroleum-related environmental disputes in the region and if the impact of the environmental legal framework on the resolution of the cited cases is systemic. The impact of the environmental legal framework on the resolution of oil and gas-related environmental disputes in Nigeria therefore appears uncertain. In such circumstances, empirical data on the resolution of oil and gas-related environmental disputes is necessary to aid understanding of the challenges to the resolution of the disputes in the region. The data from the study will disclose the systemic defects in the dispute resolution processes and aid understanding of the impact of the environmental legal framework on the resolution of the disputes.
