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.