One of the greatest challenges besetting Nigeria is the excessive dependence on fossil fuels for energy and economic sustenance. The non-renewable nature of fossil fuels and the degradation it wreaks on the environment has raised doubts about the attainment of sustainable development in Nigeria unless there is a move towards renewable energy. This is imperative due to the advent of hydraulic fracturing in the USA, the instability in the global oil market, the inevitable depletion of fossil fuels and the recent COP-21 agreement. This paper thus examines the prospects of sustainable development in Nigeria in view of the government's over-dependence on fossil fuels as well as the implications of such over-dependence on environmental sustainability and the attainment of environmental justice in Nigeria. The paper further argues for a shift towards the stable utilisation of renewable energy to avoid further damage to the environment caused by reliance on conventional energy sources.
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