Air Pollution in Nigeria: An Overview of Regulatory Challenges and Strategies

Air pollution results from the direct or indirect release of harmful substances or energy into the atmosphere, posing severe risks to human health, ecosystems, and environmental use. In Nigeria, it is the fourth leading cause of mortality, responsible for over 7% of deaths. Globally, initiatives such as treaties, conventions, and protocols have sought to address the issue, but progress has been hampered by the transboundary nature of pollution, fragmented frameworks, conflicting development priorities, weak enforcement, inadequate technology, and funding constraints. Domestically, Nigeria has attempted regulation through the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) Act 2007, the Climate Change Act 2021, and the Petroleum Industry Act. However, these measures face challenges including weak institutional capacity, overlapping mandates, corruption, poor enforcement, limited public awareness, reliance on polluting industries, and outdated infrastructure. Using doctrinal analysis, the study finds that both global and Nigerian frameworks lack effective technological monitoring systems, coordination, and modern enforcement strategies. It recommends stronger international laws, capacity building, real-time emissions tracking, open databases, and technology transfer globally. For Nigeria, the paper emphasizes legal harmonization, stronger institutions, judicial reforms, public participation, and adoption of modern monitoring technologies.