Abstract

The discovery and eventual exploration of oil and gas in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria comes with some blessings and challenges. Among the challenges is gas flaring and its impacts on the environment. Gas flaring is both a national and global concern because of its numerous hazards on the environment. This article analyses gas flaring and its impacts on the environment, agriculture, social-economic activities and human rights of people in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The article further analyses the legal, policy and institutional framework regulating gas flaring in Nigeria and finds that they are obsolete, inadequate and in effective. The article reveals the challenges confronting the eradication of gas flaring in Nigeria and observe that elimination/reduction of gas flaring may be illusory without the political will of the Nigerian government. The article further examines the legal, policy and institutional framework of gas flaring in Alberta with a view to drawing lessons for Nigeria. The article concludes and recommends that there is need to overhaul the legal and regulatory policies to stem the menace of gas flaring in Nigeria.