A Professor of Law at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Olugbenga Oke-Samuel, has called for the establishment of environmental law clinics and specialised green courts to improve access to justice and tackle environmental injustice across the country.
The legal scholar also urged the Federal Government to grant financial and administrative autonomy to environmental law clinics, saying the move would strengthen the delivery of justice and equip law graduates with practical legal experience.
Oke-Samuel made the call on Tuesday while delivering the university's 67th inaugural lecture, titled "Environmental Injustice: Redeeming the Time Through Environmental Law Clinics in Nigeria," at the institution's Multipurpose Hall.
He said the world was grappling with environmental challenges, including climate change, pollution, biodiversity depletion and ecosystem degradation, noting that vulnerable communities continued to bear the greatest burden of environmental disasters.
According to him, the situation reflects the consequences of industrial negligence, unsustainable exploitation of natural resources and weak environmental regulation.
The professor identified illegal and artisanal mining, indiscriminate waste disposal, electronic waste, dust emissions from cement factories, air and oil pollution, flooding, desertification and climate change as some of the major drivers of environmental injustice in Nigeria.
He argued that achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals would remain difficult without effective legal mechanisms to enforce environmental justice.
Oke-Samuel maintained that goals such as access to clean water, affordable energy and sustainable cities could only be realised where there was accountability and strong legal protection for affected communities.
He also blamed political interference, inadequate funding and institutional weaknesses for the poor enforcement of environmental laws, lamenting that many victims of environmental pollution, particularly in oil-producing communities, were often compelled to seek justice in foreign courts at huge financial and personal costs.
Using the Niger Delta as an example, he said the region had continued to suffer severe environmental degradation despite contributing significantly to Nigeria's economy through crude oil production.
He listed the challenges confronting residents to include oil spills, gas flaring, pipeline explosions, environmental contamination, respiratory illnesses and food and water pollution.
The professor said environmental law clinics could bridge the gap in access to justice by providing free legal services to affected communities, promoting environmental rights awareness and strengthening regulatory accountability.
He described the clinics as particularly important in Nigeria, where many vulnerable communities lack access to environmental law experts.
To strengthen the initiative, Oke-Samuel urged the government to provide sustainable funding for environmental law clinics and formalise partnerships with the Federal Ministry of Environment, state ministries of environment and the Legal Aid Council.
He also recommended involving the clinics in environmental impact assessments, compliance audits and community development agreements.
The don further called for constitutional amendments to establish specialised environmental courts or tribunals to fast-track environmental cases and improve access to justice for victims of pollution and related offences.
On legal education, he advocated the integration of clinical legal education into university curricula, saying the approach would expose students to practical legal training while preparing them to promote public interest litigation and defend the rights of disadvantaged communities.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Olugbenga Ige, described the lecture as another significant milestone in the institution's academic history.
Ige, who noted that it would be the last inaugural lecture he would preside over before the expiration of his tenure, commended Oke-Samuel for his contributions to legal scholarship, the university community and the country's justice system.
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