LEGALLY GREEN: NAVIGATING NIGERIA’S CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION IN THE POST-PANDEMIC ERA

Abstract

The Clean Energy movement has emerged as a front-burner issue in conversations about global warming, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, which significantly disrupted energy markets and renewable energy development. This paper critically explores Nigeria’s legal and regulatory frameworks guiding its clean energy transition in the post-pandemic era. Despite the global call for decarbonization through climate governance mechanisms such as the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto Protocol, fossil fuels remain dominant, posing environmental and economic challenges. The pandemic intensified these issues by disrupting supply chains, reducing investments in renewable energy, and shifting policy focus toward immediate health and economic recovery. Nigeria, heavily reliant on crude oil exports, experienced severe economic strain, raising urgent questions about its readiness to embrace renewable energy pathways. The study examines national legal instruments including the 1999 Constitution, the 2023 Electricity Act, the Climate Change Act 2021, etcetera. The analysis reveals a promising legal landscape, especially at the international and national levels. However, there are still problems like weak laws and policies, resistance to change, low public support and involvement, lack of education and awareness, just transition issues, and concerns about incentives and investment risks. This research emphasizes the need for reduced reliance on fossil fuels, stronger implementation strategies, stakeholder education, and financial incentives to ensure a resilient and sustainable energy future in Nigeria.