STRATEGIES FOR CREATING PUBLIC AWARENESS FOR

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN NIGERIA

BY

Steve Bamidele OWADUGE

steveowaduge@gmail.com
+2348033581565

Abstract
In the process of man’s consumption of natural resources in his natural environment, a
number of stress is created which affects adversely the quality of the environment in which he
lives. In this paper an attempt has been made to identify the various methods through which
public awareness that are considered effective as well as the strategies for their implication
are discussed in the light of the achievement of a sustainable environment in Nigeria.
In its introductory section, attempts have made to clarify concepts such as Environment,
Environmental Sustainability and Environmental Problems. The paper concludes with the
need to slow down the population growth in order to achieve sustainable environment and
that everybody should be involved in environmental awareness creation for effective
environmental and resources management strategies as a way forward.
Key words: Environment, Environmental Sustainability, Environmental Problems, Natural
Resources, Public Awareness

1. INTRODUCTION

Environment
The word Environment has its origin in the French word “environ” which means
“surrounding”. The surrounding and everything that affect an organism during its lifetime is
collectively known as its environment.
Environment therefore constitutes the single complex whole that contains everything that
makes up the world. It entails arts and crafts, flora and fauna, traditions and history, weather
and climate, rivers, lakes and vegetation (Oladiti, 2010). By implication, according to
(Abiodun et al., 2014), environment contains everything that human life hinges on. Thus, in
the context of human development, environment is seen as the totality of the objects and
conditions surrounding human existence. Arising from the foregoing, guarding jealously the
environment becomes pertinent. This calls for rational use of the natural resources in the
present time, bearing in mind the future generation.

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Environmental Sustainability
The Financial Times Lexicon (2013) cited in (Chowdhury, 2014) defines environmental
sustainability as a state in which the demands placed on the environment can be met without
reducing it capacity to allow all people to live well, now and in the future. Sustainable
Environment allows for the needs of man to be met without jeopardizing the ability of future
generations to meet their needs.
Our natural environment has the ability to rejuvenate itself and sustain its viability. Nature
has the ability to care for itself, if left alone. Therefore, if we use any natural resource such as
ground water beyond its limit of replacement, we may lose it forever. However, activities of
man can deplete natural resources provided by the environment and can jeopardize its long-
term viability, if we fail to apply environmental sustainability (Gillaspy, 2017).

Environmental Problems
It can be referred to as any natural or human-induced event which poses a serious danger or
risk to the life and properties of people in their environment. An environmental problem
associates with negative impacts on the quality or quantity of the environment (Gunilla,
2014). At the beginning, man’s activities were limited by what the environment could offer,
i.e. the environment was dictating what man can do. Later the need arose from increasing
population such that pushed man to develop technologically enough to manipulate the
environment to suit his needs.
The reality of our time now is that we have by our activities and mission individually and
collectively contributed to our environment negatively than in the positive, it is the set of
negative contributions that are referred to as ‘Environmental Problems.

Take the ‘Hydrological Cycle’ which has its natural course as an example when man is in
quest for derivable benefits from dam construction and thus, dam a river, little or no water
gets downstream and the settlement downstream begins to suffer from shortage of water
which affect all other activities.

2. ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN NIGERIA

Today, the effect of environmental problems cannot be over emphasized in Nigeria. The
problems created by them are threat to both aquatic and terrestrial life and can lead to their
extinction. According to Abacha 1997, “across the length and breadth of our great nation
(Nigeria), we are faced with the stark realities of the errors of our past developmental

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activities and indisciplined life styles”. Justifying this statement is a long list of observable
environmental problems resulting from man’s continuous interaction with the environment in
Nigeria.

In Nigeria today, the environmental problems facing the country according to (Ajibade, 2000;
Uchegbu, 2000; Omofonwan and Osa-Edoh, 2008; Daramola and Ibem, 2010; Ibimilua and
Ibimilua, 2014), including among others, the following

 Deforestation
 Flooding
 Erosion
 Industrial pollution
 Rainstorm
 Bush burning
 Solid waste management
Each particular problem has a linkage effect with another, which tends to exacerbate the
effects of others thus creating waves of anxiety, worry and concern for all lovers of the
environment (Uchegbu, 2002). These environmental problems encourage insufficient
utilization of resources, damage or reduce productive resources, which generally reduce
people’s standard of living.

3. THE NEED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS

According to (Evelyn and Tyav 2012), if we fail to sustain the environment, the environment
will not sustain us. Therefore, there is need to educate the public on how to manage, and
improve on the relationship between human society and the environment in an integrated and
sustainable manner to prevents environmental problems.

A lot of control measures have been suggested to the environmental problems majority of
which are preventive in nature. This rests on the premise that, preventing an environmental
problem from occurring, is cheaper than what the government will be spending to relief
victims yearly.

Good and appropriate as these preventive measures are, it is clear that none of the measures
can work effectively without carrying the people concerned along. In other words, the people
must be aware of the possible consequences of their actions with respect to their interaction
with the environment. In addition, they must also be informed of all legislations guiding
©Steve Owaduge September 2017 Page 3
against the destruction of the environment. For instance, the sanitary inspectors of yesterday
which the Yoruba speaking people of Nigeria used to refer to as ‘Wole-wole’ did not enjoy
much goodwill from the people because they were only enforcing laws. The laws themselves
were not known or widely accepted as many people did not know why they should be
punished for storing mosquitoe-breeding water for domestic uses.

Public environmental awareness is referred to as a synthesis of people’s conception,

interpretation and perceptions of environmental issues which affect their behaviour, and the
quality of responses and reactions to environmental problems (Chokor, 1988). According to
him it’s utility in shaping desirable environmental management practices and effecting
control cannot be overemphasized.

(Chokor, 1988; Jimoh and Ajibade, 1995; Mohammed and Ripudaman, 2014) among others
see environmental awareness as a necessary ingredient for a successful implementation of
environmental policy in Nigeria. This is because, failure of some of our measures are
sometimes attributed in part, to lack of public awareness. It is through people’s awareness
that all effort towards preventing damages to our environment can be effective. If people are
aware of the dangers in some of their actions, it will bring about positive change and thereby
prevent any future catastrophe that can arise from environmental problems. It can then be
posited that the magnitude of the existing environmental problems depends on individual’s
level of environmental awareness and perception.

People are still involved in unsustainable practices without minding the consequences
(Harrison et al., 2015). This situation has been blamed on ignorance and low level of
environmental awareness. The cure for ignorance is education. Therefore, there is the need to
re-awake and re-orientate the individuals’ mental state of perceptions to their environment.

4. TECHNIQUES OF CREATING ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS

Various researchers have designed series of public awareness programmes on environmental
issues and some of these have been implemented in parts of Nigeria. Yet, not many people
tend to be aware up to date. This is perhaps because of the brief nature of their
implementation. For instance, people were only responding positively to the call to plant trees
during the short period of cry by the government. In addition, experiences of environment-
related disaster do not normally last in people’s memory for they forget easily. In another
way, it may well be that the strategy designed for their implementation is faulty.

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Below are some of the possible techniques useful in creating public awareness for sustainable
environment among the Nigerian people:
 Legislation
 Training programmes
 Drama
 Discussion
 Jingles
 Print and Electronic Media
 Visual displays (Posters)
 Community for a/public campaign
 Establishment of environment related clubs and associations
 Incorporation of Environmental Education (EE) in school curricula
 Indigenous Education

It is pertinent to note that the issue of environment is all encompassing requiring both multi-
disciplinary and multi-sectoral approach (Iwugo, 1991). Thus, an integrated approach
involving all these techniques will be better applicable if majority of the people are the target.
In any case, there is no best method for all cases for a particular audience at a particular time
in a particular place.

5. STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PUBLIC AWARENESS

Legislation:
Laws and Decrees are the bedrock of all environmental control measures for when there are
no laws; nobody can be apprehended for an offence. These must be clear, gazette that must
be made known to the public. The contents of various laws are not understood by the public
because of the legal terminologies involved. They should be simplified, interpreted in
various languages and make them reach the people. Such legislation must spell out the rights
and responsibilities of individuals and the limits to which the environment can be exploited.
They should also spell out possible practices, which will promote environmental
sustainability. Sometimes, awareness is not created until some people are punished and used
as examples. In Nigeria today, special courts are being set up to ensure speedy justice for
environmental sanitation violators.
Training:

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Local, state and federal government officers, traditional rulers, rural and urban dwellers can
be brought together and trained in workshop, symposium and public lectures on the need to
respect and conserve the environment. Public campaigns can also be organized to educate the
public as suggested by (Jimoh and Ajibade, 1995). Meanwhile, it must be ensured that those
who are to train the people must be well knowledgeable in their area of concern.
(Olorunfemi and Odita, 1997) however confirm that it is not that people do not know what to
do using waste disposal as an example. The situation is that they will clean their environment
but will have no prepared places to empty their wastes because government does not provide
for this. Such people end up dumping refuse in drainage channels and highways (Ajibade,
2000). Efforts should be made to back up training with provision of essential public facilities
such as refuse dumping sites, public toilets, etc.
Drama:
Drama is one of the effective tools of mobilizing people. Arrangement can be made to reach
associations of home-video artists all over the country with a view to encouraging them to put
into consideration plays that will focus on the use and abuse of the environment. Recent
plays by Nollywood artists have in one way or the other positively modified our social and
moral behaviour to an extent. Theatre groups can be hired to stage plays on prominent
environmental problems in specific areas in their local dialects. Such plays can even be
shared on the social media such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.
Discussions:
Environmentalists, lawmakers, and law enforcement agents can discuss topical environmental
issues on radio and television in different languages. Leaders are using their status and
influence in adapting socio-cultural norms for forest conservation, even directly confronting
those who engage in illegal forest activities with expectations of conforming to new
normative behaviours, rather than reporting them to the authorities (Sinclair et al., 2011). It
can also take the form of community learning, whereby the traditional leaders whom people
respect are saddled with the responsibility of arranging for discussions with the people.
Jingles:
Stimulating programmes on radio and television such as News, Drama, etc. can be made to
have environmental Jingles at intervals where good songs can be composed to reveal how
generous and friendly our environment is to man. Such should be clear and short enough to
inform, educate and bring about attitudinal changes in the use of the environment. Public

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Unit vehicles with ‘Public Address System’ can also be used from one community to the
other.
Print and Electronic Media:
Our national dailies have been very useful in this direction for almost all of them have a
whole page each usually devoted to environmental issues. The electronic media too should
emulate this gesture even if they can be presented in documentary form. This they should do
to arouse environmental consciousness among Nigerian public.
Visual Displays:
This is a good technique of imparting knowledge. According to (Ghulam et el., 2015) it is the
best tool for making teaching effective and the best dissemination of knowledge. Instructive
and advisory public awareness captions can be written in handbills, posters, stickers,
billboards, fez caps, vests to remind and inform the public of the illegality of abusing the
environment. Pictures can as well be used to show various problems arising from improper
use of the environment. An example of such could be a sketch or photograph of flooded
houses and vehicles with the caption: “You can prevent these; don’t dump refuse in gutters
and rivers”.
Other captions can ordinarily be written as follows:
 Save our Beautiful Earth
 Keep your surrounding green, it checks erosion.

 Many Species. One Planet. One Future

 Plan For the Planet

 Connect With the World Wide Web of life.

 Forest Nature At Your Service

 Global Warming: We have a solution, Stop Pollution!

Establishment of Environmental Agencies and Organizations:

One of the good ways of committing the public to fight the course of environmental
sustainability in Nigeria is the establishment of Environmental agencies and organizations. It

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can be established at community level where some of the tools required for use will be
provided. They will be charged with the responsibility of educating the people; preventing
the occurrence of environmental hazards, assisting these faced with the problems. According
to (Babalola et al 2010), one of the recommendations of the Federal Environmental
Protection Agency (FEPA) is that Environmental Conservation Clubs be set up in secondary
schools. The agency is in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education on the
development of Environmental Educational Master plan and Curricula for both formal and
informal educational system in Nigeria.

Therefore, the existing ‘conservation club’ which seems not to be popular should be reviewed
while related ones should also be established. Prominent Environmental agencies and
organisations in Nigeria today include:
Government Environmental Agencies in Nigeria:
 Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA)
 Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD)
 Federal Ministry of Environment (FME)
 Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR)
 Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN)
 National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA)
 National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA)
 National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA)
 National Population Commission (NPC)
 Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET)
Non Governmental Environmental Organizations in Nigeria:
 Earth Rights Institute (ERI)
 Environmental Rights Action (ERA), Friends of the Earth, Nigeria
 Niger Delta Fund Initiative (NDFI),
 Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF)
 Wastes Management Society of Nigeria (WAMASON)

Incorporation of Environmental Education in School Curricula:

Environmental education is a process that allows individuals to explore environmental issues,
engage in problem solving, and take action to improve the environment. As a result,
©Steve Owaduge September 2017 Page 8
individuals develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to
make informed and responsible decisions (EPA 2017). Environmental Education and public
participation give increasing awareness of environmental precautions as far as environmental
sustainability is concerned. “Catch them Young” they say, introduction of Environmental
Education in schools will guarantee that the younger generation will have the required
knowledge and attitude to preserve an ideal environment. It should be taught in simple
language. In fact, it should also be extended to non-formal educational institutions. The
famous “Agenda 21” identifies education as a vital aid to support all the needed changes for
sustainability to take place. Signatory nations agreed to pursue actions to include
environment-sustainable development as a cross cutting matter in curriculum at different
levels of education, and also to ensure it reaches different audiences, including those located
at remote communities (Smyth, 1995). Nigeria, as one of the signatory to the Agenda 21
Environmental education should be taken as a compulsory subject right from primary to
tertiary levels of education.
Indigenous Techniques:
These are techniques that are gradually fading out in the face of civilization and educational
advancement. These are particularly useful in the rural areas. For instance, it used to be a
‘Taboo’ in Yoruba traditional setting, for people to interfere with natural vegetation that are
reserved for different purposes. They set aside forests according to Ajibade (1998), and
unconsciously protect them by local laws and customs. Depending on purpose, such forests
are known and called as follows:
 Igbo-Ode (Hunting Forest)
 Igbo –Ogan (High Forest)
 Igbo-Erin (Elephant Forest) `
 Igbo-Efon (Buffalo Forest)
 Igbo-Oro (Religious Groves)
 Igbo-Iwin (Abode of faired and spirits)
Superstitions too, which used to assist in protecting our environment can tactically be given
cognizance. For instance, it used to be forbidden to empty wastes in moving water when rain
falls. These are useful measures which should be given recognition especially now that
efforts are on to promote indigenous knowledge systems in African societies.

6. CONCLUSION

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Environmental futures scenarios are highly uncertain as the human population grows and
anthropogenic environmental change accelerates (Sinclair and Diduck, 2016). While this act
of creating awareness on environmental issues among the people continues, attempts should
also be made to achieve a sizeable population through population control measures, good
leadership and sound economic policies which will assist in the implementation of the
environmental control measures. Slower population growth would help people adapt to
climate change, reduce the scale of human vulnerability to these impacts, and give nations a
chance to make essential investments in health care, education, and sustainable economic
development (Population Action International, 2011).
Dealing with environmental problems is no doubt an uneasy task, because it requires tough
and bold decisions on the part of the government. Consequently, established agencies should
be vigorously supported. Creating public awareness should not be left to the Federal
Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) alone. Environment refers to everything that
surrounds man, attempts should therefore be made to create separate department in individual
ministry who will be charged with the responsibility of creating public awareness. In fact, it
should be seen as a collective responsibility while the Federal Environmental Protection
Agency (FEPA) coordinates.

Environmental awareness should be seen as a continuous activity until the term no longer
need be used, when the activities that it comprises become an accepted and normal part of
human behaviour toward the environment. It therefore becomes relevant to monitor the
implementation of these public awareness techniques constantly in order to determine their
continuity or change.

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