LEADING ISSUES IN GENERAL STUDIES: HUMANITIES
AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
EDITOR:
Director
General Studies Division
The General Studies Division, University of Ilorin,
Ilorin.
ENVIRONMENTAL ABUSE AND MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES IN NIGERIA
H. I. Jimoh
Department of Geography. University of Ilorin. llorin.
INTRODUCTION
The term "Environment" is better appreciated as perceived. Thus, the term environment
is defiled of a universally acknowledged method of description or definition. For instance,
environment has" been conceived as a system within which living organisms interact with the
physical elements (Sada, 1988). This means that, environment can be conceived as the
conditions, circumstances and influences surrounding and affecting the development of an
organism or group of organisms (Strahler and Strahler, 1977). In addition, environment is
made up of a number of spheres, which include the hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere
and biosphere. Within these spheres are a number of interrelated activities in operation.
Consequently, environment is perceived in this chapter as the general surroundings where a
number of interrelated activities are taking place within the environmental system and
between man and the environment too. From the perspective of physical and cultural
landscapes, the physical or natural environment indicates that the environment is in its
natural state. The features of the physical environment include rivers and water bodies,
trees, hills/mountains, mineral resources such as iron-ore, gold, manganese, diamond,
silver, columbite and petroleum among others. The cultural landscape on the other hand
denotes that an interaction has taken place between man and his environment. Such
activities that are human based include agriculture, mining operations, sinking of bore holes,
wells, tree felling, constructions of bridges, houses, road networks and railways among
others. (Robinson, 1976).
Thus, every organism sees the environment as a resource store where he can
conveniently fall back to, for all his needs (Faniran and Ojo, 1980). However, efforts made by
man to harness these environmental-based resources have translated into a number of
environmental abuses. These abuses arose out of man's ignorance in relating with the
environment and disregarding its welfare. These developments therefore constitute the
focus of this chapter. However, the next section of this chapter considers the forms of
relationship between man and the environment.
THE MODES OF MAN - ENVIRONMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS
Man's relationship with its environment has always changed with time, depending on his
understanding and knowledge of the physical environment. However, the natural
environment is generally endowed with variable quantity and quality of resources
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within the space (Simmons, 1981). Thus, man has come to regard his environment as a
depot housing his needs and therefore always devising ways of abstracting these -esources
within it. The modes of the relationships have been discussed in three phases below
(Jimoh, 1999). These phases include the Paleolithic, Neolithic and the Modern ages.
a) Paleolithic era:
This period marked the era of environmental determinism, where the environment essentially
decides to provide for man. In essence, man depended on what the environment provides.
This development was due to the low level of man's technological development. Thus, the
degree of man's impact or the abuse inflicted on the environment was minimal.
b) Neolithic era:
This period is the Iron Age when equipment were fabricated witn and :n metais. This was due
to some remarkable improvements in man's technological development. Thus, there was a
marked interaction between man and his environment. Also, man tended to develop some
options of needs outside what the environment offers and proceeded to develop ways of
accomplishing such set objectives.
c) Modern age:
This is the jet age where man decides what to do within and outside his environmental setting.
Indeed, this period epitomized a number of abuses inflicted op the environment, many of
which are put in place inadvertently.
ENVIRONMENTAL ABUSES
This is the deliberate effort to put environment into optimal use without the slightest
consideration for the stress introduced onto the environmental system. For example, soil
tilling for agricultural purposes, mining activities, inadequate waste disposal, noise
generation, pollution among others greatly abuse the environment in all their ramifications.
However, a number of environmental problems ensue due to the abuses meted to the
environment in the course of interactions. Usually this scenario emanates from lack of sufficient
education on how to relate with the environment (see Jimoh and Ajibade, 1995). The longstanding relationships existing between man and the environment had been one of exploiting
the environmental resources to meet man's needs. The implications of this drive manifested in
the various types of stress inflicted on the environment usually due to the following:
1. Mineral exploitations leading to environmental degradations:
This type of activity largely destroys the beauty of the environment. For example, in the tin
mining areas in Jos Plateau, Nigeria, the mining sites are covered with pits that carries large
pools of water which in turn serves as breeding points for mosquitoes. In
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addition, the mining activities have led to the disappearance of a number of habitats and
the emergence of bad land topography. Also, the problems created on sites due to
petroleum exploitation are no less severe especially in the Eastern axis (Table I).
2. Constructional activities
This activity covers events such as houses, road networks, rail .lines, bridges, canals,
aqueducts among others which are capable of completely denying surfaces of
adequate plant covers. The effects of this type of scenario are many and hazardous. For
example, Cooke and Doornkamp (1974). Oyegun (1980, 1983), Jimoh, (1997, 1998)
observed that land surfaces without protective covers (plants) are liable to the incidence of
severe soil erosion problems. Thus, the constructional activities have not only created the
problems of soil erosion but also, it greatly disturbs the ecosystems.
Table 1. Environmental impacts of fossil energy resources
S/N
Mining
Activities
General Effects
1.
Exploration
Landscape disturbance
2.
3.
Specific impacts
Aesthetic deterioration of landscape,
path construction and trampling in
wilderness.
Mineral extraction Land degradation and Land surface devastation (including
erosion), land subsidence, disruption o!
ecosystem destabilization
drainage
systems,
deforestation.
excessKe water draw down and lowering
and contamination of the water table.
Gas leaks, oil spills, noise,
Processing.
and pollution of the air. soil
Transportation,
storage
and and water.
consumption
Thermal body of water ways, increase in
Co2 and Co. ozone layer depletion.
acidification of air. soil and water.
weather modifications, toxicity hazard to
plants and consumers, death of terrestria
and marine life, loss of crops and l i \ c
stocks. impairment of atmospheric
visibility, vehicular accidents, damage tc
buildings and machinery. nervous
disorder, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular illness, cancer and foo;
poisoning.
Source:NEST(199l).
3. The attitudes on drainage management
Drainage systems in this case refer to the gutters and the waterways. It is common to
see drainage systems in Nigeria littered with wastes of all types and categories These
wastes often lead to their blockages (Table 2).
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Table 2. Types composition and sources of wastes
S/N
Types of wastes
Composition
_ ....._
. ._ . _
Food
leftovers, food preparation
................................
Source(s)
Households
wastes, management wastes and (kitchen), restaurants.
the sale of wares.
stores
and markets
!.
Garage
•)
Rubbish
Combustible
papers,
carbon, Office, households, market
unused papers, wood. rags. etc.
3.
Ashes
Residues from tire
cooking, i.e. firewood.
4.
Street trash
5.
Abandoned vehicles
and containers
Leaf litters, corncobs, fruit peels, Restaurants.
etc.
stores, passersbs , food
vendors
Unwanted cans, motor cycles and Roadside
bicycle parts, wood. logs. etc.
mechanics, lumbering
activities.
Source: Akinjide (1998).
used
for Kitchens, markets
As a matter of fact, wastes are the principal agents that lead to gutter
blockages and this is a common occurrence in most Nigerian cities.
Also, wastes not only litter the environment but also equally threaten the
human health and accelerate the degradation of the nutrient status of soil
resource.
4. Attending to the call of nature (ethics)
The call of nature to which every man or human being responds to include
faeces (bowel decongestion or toiletting), spitting of saliva either due to
bad odour perceived or coughing and urinating. Responses to iiiese calls
have usually been done with d if regard to their efF:rt;; •:••-. <:•••-•••*; beings ;•:, <• Ji as i';-j environment, The inappropriate manner in which many respond
to these calls of nature greatly abuses the environment and most often
constitute heaith hazards.
5. Waste disposal
Olorunfemi and Odita, (1998) observed that rapid population growth
coupled with inefficient waste disposal methods and aggravated by
inconsistent waste management policies greatly abuse the status of
the environment. Indeed. accompanying this type of incident are
environmentai deterioration, health hazard problems, disappearance of
environmental beauties, flood incidents especially when wastes arc
deposited into water ways, surface and sub-surface water pollution, air
pollution among others.
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6. The incidents of aoise pollution.
The ability of man to reorganize space to taste has led to the emergence of areas known
for noise generations. For example, Egunjobi (1988), has observed that market places,
motor parks, airports, trains, traffic, power generating plants, .grinding machines, record
players/radios, religious centres, food blenders and machine guns among others, are noise
generating sources.
In these places, noise productions offend man and greatly abuse the expected solitude in
an environment. In this view, except when it is most unavoidable, most people prefer to keep
away from these areas. This is because, at these points, there is the possibility of going
deaf (temporarily or permanently). This scenario is most certain when the tolerable threshold
of noise is exceeded. For example, Uchegbu (1998) has observed that noise emanating
from trains is ranked as uncomfortable; food blenders, machine guns at close range and
heavy traffic are loud and disturbing, while the noise from jet pbne at take-off is painful to
the body system.
7. Agricultural practices
This activity involves massive forest clearance leading to total exposure of land use types
that are in various proportions, especially in Nigeria (Table 3). For example, FAO (1983)
observed that in Nigeria, careless exploitation and husbandry has destroyed about
600,000 hectares of forest yearly while the reforestation effort of about 25,000 hectares
replenishes only 4% of the loss. This fast declining states of forest resource in Nigeria
constitute great threats to soil fertility, desertification incidents, agricultural productivity
and in fact, to the quality of life in general (Okafor, 1988).
Table 3. Percentage distribution of land use types in Nigeria
Land use types
Percentage occupied
Open grassland
Wood grassland
Woodland
Forest
Swamp forest
Good farmland
Marginal farmland
Plantation (timber, rubber, oil palm)
Water and Urban areas
18.56
26. 13
4.61
4.34
3.18
23.00
18.72
0.32
1.13
Total
100.00
Source: Federal Department of Forestry (1980). as cited in Okafor (1988).
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In general, the environmental abuses discussed usually results into severe problems. There is
the need for a more rigorous technique of managing environmental abuse. Indeed, this is not
negotiable. The next section of this chapter will focus on managing environmental abuse.
TECHNIQUES OF MANAGING ENVIRONMENTAL ABUSES
Environmental abuses are many and varied in effects and dimensions. Thus, each
environmental abuse requires a unique technique of management. However, a general
framework for managing environmental abuses of all categories can be tied to the following
arguments as follows.
Environmental education efforts: Jimoh and Ajibade (1995) have observed that
every environmental related problem can be traced to lack of clear understanding
of the nature of environment, its composition, likely environmental stress and the
effects of environmental problems on the environment vis-a-vis living organisms.
In essence, the need to introduce environmental education in our school's
curriculum is strongly advocated as a panacea to solving environmental abuses.
Development of awareness: The existence of environmental abuses in the recent
times constitutes topical issues among the elitist class in the human environment.
For example, it was in the hope of restoring the environmental quality that gave
birth to Federal Environmental Protection Agency in Nigeria (Decree 58. 1988).
This development can be made more popular and thus warranting public
sympathy through public enlightenment campaigns, lectures, distribution of
relevant pamphlets, posters, seminars, workshops and media houses.
Citing of waste dumps: Waste dumps are usually in the form of incinerators or
simple dump sites. The belief is that, when these are strategically located in places
within the urban environment, wastes so generated by both households and
individual or groups can be put together and deposited at the waste dump sites.
However, these waste dump sites should be made functional by regularly clearing
the wastes from the dump sites without which the dump sites may translate into
health problem /ones.
Legal policy frame works: In Nigeria. Government has made efforts to address
this abuse through Decree 58 of 1988. This Decree established FEPA and charged
it with the responsibility of protecting and developing the environment, by
establishing environmental standards. Also, there are the mobile courts that
operate on en\ironmental sanitation days. Culprits are-instantly sentenced or
punished.
Furthermore, during the Buhari-Idiagbon military administration in Nigeria (1984 - 1985).
there \\as the introduction of 'War Against Indiscipline ' (WAI). This
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was developed to checkmate the indiscriminate manner in which the citizenrv was abusing
Ihe environmental in all forms. The WAI eventually manifested into War Against Filth. This
phase of WAI greatly meted punishments to vfctims of all forms of environmental abuse
in Nigeria.
General!}1, a better result may be achieved when some of the measures are combined to
address the various abuses on the environment. This is like!} to be so. if the '^ensures are
strong, purposive and action generating (See FEPA. '90j).
CONCLUSION
Man's environment is a depot capable of meeting all our IKCUS. In an effort to exploit Hiese
environmental resources to advantage, a number of abuses thus ensue. The consequences
of'these arc several and ha/ardous on boih (lie environment an"' m;<!' Thus, managing these
abuses becomes inevitable especiallv as such steps easiK result in the restoration of the
environmental quality and the sustenance of the future of the present and the vet unborn
generation in Nigeria.
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