ID: 2010
Presenting Author: Dr Tokunbo Olorundami
Session: 541 - EsIA and Permitting Improvements for Efficiency and Effectiveness: Lessons Learned
Status: pending
Analysis of Nigeria’s EIA reports shows public consultation is mostly procedural, with limited transparency and weak accountability. The study urges stronger ethics, reporting, and participation.
Effective communication and meaningful public consultation are vital to the credibility and transparency of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes. Yet in many contexts, including Nigeria, they are often treated as procedural formalities rather than genuine participatory exercises. This study critically examines how communication and consultation are documented and implemented in Nigerian EIA practice. Using a purposive sample of fifty approved EIA reports across five industrial sectors—oil and gas, manufacturing, infrastructure, mining, and construction—a qualitative content analysis assessed the depth, frequency, and quality of stakeholder engagement, information disclosure, and incorporation of feedback into project decisions. Findings reveal that while various engagement platforms are routinely used, consultation often remains superficial, marked by selective information sharing, limited dialogue, and weak accountability. The paper concludes that Nigeria’s EIA framework requires strengthened communication ethics, standardized reporting, and enforceable accountability measures to shift from compliance-oriented consultation toward a genuinely participatory process that fosters trust and supports sustainable development.
Tokunbo Olorundami is a Lecturer and Academic Programme Director for the MSc Env Mgt and Sustainability at York St John University.
Adegboyage Lawal is a Staff of the Ministry of Env, Nigeria
Coauthor 1: Dr Adegboyega Lawal