Research Article
Polluter Pays Principle and Environmental Justice:
A Theoretical Discourse on Regulatory Effectiveness in Nigeria
Nyerhovwo Kingsley Erakpotobor*
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 2, June 2026
Pages:
24-36
Received:
10 October 2025
Accepted:
20 October 2025
Published:
15 June 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.advances.20260702.11
Downloads:
Views:
Abstract: This study critically examines the effectiveness of the Polluter Pays Principle (PPP) in advancing environmental justice (EJ) within Nigeria’s regulatory framework. Anchored in Political Ecology Theory, it interrogates how historical marginalization, power asymmetries, and weak institutions shape policy implementation and justice outcomes. Persistent environmental degradation—especially in the Niger Delta and urban centers like Lagos and Port Harcourt—reveals a pattern where vulnerable communities bear disproportionate burdens while major polluters evade accountability. Employing a qualitative, theoretical approach supported by comparative case insights, the study finds that despite PPP’s legal recognition, enforcement remains undermined by regulatory capture, corruption, and limited institutional capacity. These failures perpetuate environmental injustice, eroding equity, deterrence, and compliance. The paper contributes by bridging the gap between PPP, EJ, and regulatory effectiveness within Nigeria’s political ecology. It calls for a justice-oriented shift in environmental governance through participatory, transparent, and context-sensitive reforms. Strengthening civil society engagement, judicial activism, and community participation is emphasized as key to aligning environmental policy with practice across Nigeria and the broader Global South.
Abstract: This study critically examines the effectiveness of the Polluter Pays Principle (PPP) in advancing environmental justice (EJ) within Nigeria’s regulatory framework. Anchored in Political Ecology Theory, it interrogates how historical marginalization, power asymmetries, and weak institutions shape policy implementation and justice outcomes. Persiste...
Show More
