Nigeria secured independence from Britain over fifty years ago but prevailing socio-political turmoil and economic woes in Nigeria are attributed to colonialism and the forced amalgamation of the diverse ethnic units constituting Nigeria. The need to redress the long-standing marginalization of certain units due to colonialism accounts for the entrenchment of the Federal Character principle in the Nigerian Constitution. However, ethnic discontent and intolerance still pervades Nigeria while the oil curse has led to Nigeria's categorization as a rentier state. This paper argues that notwithstanding the effects of colonialism, Nigeria, with its vast endowment of human and natural resources can overcome the contemporary challenges of intense ethnic conflicts and other socio-economic problems if the Government eschews corruption. The paper also examines the relics of colonial law in Nigerian statutes and legal practice and contends that time-worn British laws in Nigerian statutes need to be jettisoned to accommodate present realities.
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.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.