Appraising the determinants of petroleum products transportation in Nigeria under a third world sustainable regional development

The transportation of petroleum products is a critical component of energy supply chains, with profound implications for environmental integrity, economic development, and social stability. This study investigates the ecological determinants of sustainable petroleum transportation in Nigeria, situated within the broader regional development strategies of Third World nations. Anchored ecological integrates environmental economics, ecological economics, sustainable development theory, and transport geography, the research analyses how infrastructural deficits, regulatory gaps, ecological risks, and socio-political factors shape petroleum logistics in resource-dependent contexts. The study adopts a qualitative, desktop-based approach to assess environmental determinants influencing sustainable petroleum transportation in Nigeria’s regional development context. The findings reveal that unsustainable practices, manifested in pipeline vandalism, road congestion, tanker-related emissions, and weak environmental enforcement, undermine regional development goals and threaten the ecological balance of host communities. The lack of integrated planning between energy transport infrastructure and regional development frameworks further intensifies environmental degradation, particularly in sensitive ecosystems such as the Niger Delta. Comparative insights from other Third World settings reveal similar challenges, including institutional inertia and limited adoption of cleaner technologies. The study proposes a sustainable petroleum transportation model that balances logistical efficiency with environmental stewardship and regional development, and recommends strategic investment in multimodal transport systems, more vigorous regulatory enforcement, and the incorporation of sustainability metrics into national and regional energy planning.