MANAGING NIGERIA’S MULTIFARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL LANDSCAPE IN THE 21ST CENTURY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, THROUGH A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH (Published)
The recent widely-publicized renewed commitment of the Federal Government of Nigeria, to increased funding of university education in Nigeria, is a milestone in the history of educational management in Nigeria. The development coinciding as it were, with the 100 years of the country’s amalgamation, provides a unique opportunity for all patriotic and committed academicians and other intellectuals in Nigeria, to renew their own commitment to partnering with the governments and people of Nigeria, to combat the challenges of the nation and take the nation to a higher level in the nation’s quest for sustainable development. This is to be done through an appropriate deployment of specialized knowledge – a vital tool crucial to attaining sustainable development in the 21st century – a knowledge-based century. The paper is advocating that appropriate knowledge be deployed through a multi-disciplinary approach, to first of all, tackle the multifarious challenges of the country. Following the attainment of this crucial goal, knowledge can then be further deployed as appropriate, to take the country to the next level, in our quest for sustainable development. In going about the assignments, on which a clarion call is being made to Nigerian academicians, the environmental option, is being advocated. This is because its multifarious nature, will be most ideal not only to capture appropriately, all the diverse challenges of the country, but also all sectors of development, whose sustainability is dear to all well-meaning Nigerians and all lovers of Nigeria alike. The benefits of adopting the environmental approach to sustainable development, as well as the possible strategies that could be adopted, are spelt out, so also are the roles for the supervising agency of government for the universities
Keywords: Built Environment, Natural Environment, Political/Governmental Environment, Socio-Economic Environment, Spiritual Environment, Sustainable Development
CAN MOST THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES EVER GUARANTEE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE ENVIRONMENT (Review Completed - Accepted)
Five main types of environments are recognized. These are the natural environment, the socio-economic environment, the built environment, the political/governmental environment and the spiritual environment, which is an addition by the author to the list of environments. However, since these environments are in most cases affected by certain environmental challenges that are common to all of them and these environments are inter-dependent, with the happenings in one affecting the others, an “integrated environment” approach is adopted in this paper in discussing the environments, which are simply referred to as “the environment”, in most part of this paper.
The global environmental issues that are germane to sustainability of environment in which most of the third world countries are still lagging behind, are discussed. These issues are weighed against the back drop of the diverse sociological challenges facing these third world countries, many of which are not showing any sign of abatement within a foreseeable future. All these have led the author to the conclusion that most of these countries may remain in the doldrums for long, on the all-important issue of sustainability of the environment
Keywords: Built Environment, Climate Change, Loss of Biodiversity, Natural Environment, Natural Hazards and Sustainability, Political/Governmental Environment, Pollution, Socio-Economic Environment, Spiritual Environment