Stakeholders’ perception of the implementation and Effectiveness of Environmental Management plan in oil and gas projects in the niger delta region in Nigeria

Abstract

Oil and gas production activities in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria is blamed for wide spread environmental degradation and social conflict in the region. Yet it is known that Oil and gas projects are approved on the condition that Environmental Management Plan (EMP) would be implemented to mitigate the adverse impacts of project and optimise the positive impacts towards sustainability. This study examined the extent of the current implementation and effectiveness of Environmental Management Plan used in oil and gas production projects in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria using stakeholder’s perception. A semi structured questionnaire was developed for the study and administered on 384 respondents between July and November 2017. Although long, it provides rare insights into EMP effectiveness in the region at point in time which remains relevant for understanding current trends. The respondents comprised government agencies, oil company officials, academics/consultants, NGOs and members of project communities. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data. Findings showed that the EMPs are developed with specific goals, which is an important mark of quality of the EMPs but the current level of implementation of EMP is inadequate to effectively mitigate the impact of the projects on the environment of the sub-region. There is inadequate community involvement in the implementation process, monitoring of EMP implementation is not carried out as required to adequately mitigate the impact of projects on the environment and drive towards sustainability of the region. However, the implementation has changed the ways projects affect the environment and have contributed to improvements in environmental management in the study area over time. Improved implementation is recommended to achieve further gains.