A review of environmental, social and health impact assessment (Eshia) practice in Nigeria: a panacea for sustainable development and decision making

Abstract

Local participation is always beneficial for sustainable action and environmental problems resulting from urban implementation due to the failure of social and institutional change necessary for a successful transformation of rural life to urban life ahead of the rapid movement of the population. Despite good legal practice and comprehensive guidelines, evidence suggests that Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or more broadly Environmental, Social and Health Impact Assessment (ESHIA) have not yet been found satisfactory in Nigeria, as the current system amounts to duplication of efforts and cost. However, ESHIA has been developed and integrated to help manage project activities, facilities, and operations sustainably, so that both economic and ecological profits are accrued (sustainable development) or ensure that any development project does not result in excessive deterioration of and/or the irreversible adverse effect on any component of the environment – a recite for sustainable development. A literature review was done by using a variety of search engines including Research Gate, Google Scholar, Academia, Mendeley, SSRN search strategy to retrieve research publications, “grey literature” and expert working group reports. The thrust of this study is to evaluate the potential benefits of ESHIA as a tool for sustainable environmental development. The evaluation and implementation of EIA are one of the strengths of these tools. Indeed, EIA is the first and foremost management tool employed to help mitigate adverse, potential, and associated impacts of proposed major developments in our environment. EIA is a regulatory requirement that is efficiently used to improve performance, project design, enhancing decision-making, and facilitating policy programs in a sustainable environment. An evaluation of the EIA systems reveals several weaknesses of the EIA system. These include the inadequate capacity of EIA approval authorities, deficiencies in screening and scoping, poor EIA quality, insufficient public participation, and weak monitoring and erratic government policies. Overall, most EIA study rarely meets the objectives of being a project planning tool to contribute to achieving sustainable development and mitigate the impact of the development project. The study recommends some directions for the future to ensure that entire content of the EIA are religiously implemented, review the existing EIA act, increase the expertise of EIA consultants, create a liaison office with an international organisation and with sister agency, ESHIA must enjoy Improved budgetary provision, time latitude, spatial contexts and methodological improvements for outcome measures to achieve results that are relevant to sustainable development by improving project design, enhancing decision making and facilitating policy programs.

The Application of Biomaterials in Ecological Remediation of Land Pollution: Bioremediation of Heavy Metals in Cement Contaminated Soil Using White-Rot Fungus Pleurotus sajor-caju

“…Surface soil and vegetation are considered as major sink of airborne metals. Consequently, the measurement of metals in these media can be useful to establish trends and abundance and their consequences as a result of natural changes and those caused by man [87][88][89][90][91][92][93][94]. Of the two environmental matrices, the soil has largely been used to establish metal contamination in relation to natural or anthropogenic in uence on the environment [18,48].…”

Assessing the Impact and Sustainability of Community Development Initiatives in Awgbu, Anambra State (2015-2023)

“…Demkova, et al (2022) demonstrated that sustainable development aims to meet the present needs of a community without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Scholars like Raimi (2020) and Chan (2021) have emphasized the importance of participatory approaches in community development, where community members actively engage in planning and decision-making processes. Additionally, the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have placed a strong emphasis on community engagement and partnerships as critical factors in achieving sustainable development.…”

“…Furthermore, the study draws upon the principles of sustainable development, a widely recognized theoretical framework that emphasizes the importance of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Echendu, 2020;Raimi, 2020;Ajor, et al 2023). Sustainable development theory guides the examination of whether the community development initiatives in Awgbu are designed and implemented in a manner that ensures long-term environmental, social, and economic sustainability.…”

Evaluating Bioremediation Strategies on Microbial Diversity in Crude Oil-Contaminated Soil Over Three to Six Months in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

“…Soil contamination by crude oil poses a formidable environmental challenge, with profound implications for ecosystem health and human well-being (Ayibatonye et al, 2024a, b;Omoyajowo et al, 2024;Saliu et al, 2023;Raheem et al, 2023;Kader et al, 2023a, c;Raimi et al, 2022a, b;Ifeanyichukwu et al, 2022;Raimi and Odubo, 2022;Deinkuro et al, 2021a, b;Olalekan et al, 2021;Okoyen et al, 2020;Olalekan et al, 2019b;Premoboere and Raimi, 2018;Raimi and Sabinus, 2017a). The persistence of hydrocarbons in soil matrices disrupts microbial communities, impeding crucial nutrient cycling processes and heightening the risk of groundwater contamination (Raimi et al, 2023;Olalekan et al, 2023;Glory et al, 2023;Kader et al, 2023b;Stephen et al, 2023;Stephen et al, 2022;Awogbami et al, 2022;Raimi et al, 2022c, d, e;Afolabi and Raimi, 2021;Raimi et al, 2021;Afolabi and Morufu, 2021;Morufu et al, 2021a, b, c;Olalekan et al, 2020;Olalekan et al, 2019a;Raimi et al, 2019d;Raimi, 2019;Olalekan et al, 2018;Morufu and Clinton, 2017;Raimi and Sabinus, 2017b). Urgent action is required to develop effective remediation strategies (Alaidaroos, 2023;Morufu et al, 2021d;Adedoyin et al, 2020;Raimi et al, 2020a;…”

“…The persistence of hydrocarbons in soil matrices disrupts microbial communities, impeding crucial nutrient cycling processes and heightening the risk of groundwater contamination (Raimi et al, 2023;Olalekan et al, 2023;Glory et al, 2023;Kader et al, 2023b;Stephen et al, 2023;Stephen et al, 2022;Awogbami et al, 2022;Raimi et al, 2022c, d, e;Afolabi and Raimi, 2021;Raimi et al, 2021;Afolabi and Morufu, 2021;Morufu et al, 2021a, b, c;Olalekan et al, 2020;Olalekan et al, 2019a;Raimi et al, 2019d;Raimi, 2019;Olalekan et al, 2018;Morufu and Clinton, 2017;Raimi and Sabinus, 2017b). Urgent action is required to develop effective remediation strategies (Alaidaroos, 2023;Morufu et al, 2021d;Adedoyin et al, 2020;Raimi et al, 2020a;Ajayi et al, 2020;Olalekan et al, 2020b, c;Suleiman et al, 2019;Omidiji and Raimi, 2019). Bioremediation has emerged as a promising solution, harnessing the metabolic prowess of microorganisms to degrade hydrocarbons and restore soil functionality (Deinkuro et al, 2021a, b;Glory et al, 2023;Raimi and Sabinus, 2017a).…”