ENVIRONMENTAL ADMINISTRATION AND POLICY IMPLEMENTATION IN NIGERIA: EVIDENCE FROM ANAMBRA STATE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (2014–2022

This study critically examined the interplay between public policy and environmental administration in Nigeria, with specific focus on the Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency (ANSEPA) from 2014 to 2022. It investigated how environmental policies have been formulated, implemented, and the extent to which they have influenced the effectiveness of ANSEPA in managing environmental challenges such as erosion, waste disposal, flooding, and pollution. Employed both conceptual and empirical approaches, the research analyzed the roles of ANSEPA, the challenges it faced, and how public policy has shaped its performance in environmental protection. The hypotheses generated were also analyzed and evaluated in line with available data. Findings reveal that ANSEPA has made strides in refuse collection and environmental enforcement, its impact is undermined by policy inconsistency, inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, and limited public awareness. The study concluded that despite ANSEPA’s effort, the environmental challenges in Anambra State were still persisted from 2014-2022. Recommendations included that ANSEPA should strengthen Policy framework enforcement, provide regular training for enforcement officers to improve their ability in enforcing environmental regulations effectively, increase funding and allocation through government budget resources, encourage Public-Private Partnership (PPP), grants and international aid among others.