DELSU JOURNAL OF NATURE, SOCIO-HUMANISTIC AND SCIENTIFIC VALUES

This is a multifaceted environmental, social, and governance issue caused by the oil spill in the Nigerian Delta, and the issue ought to be viewed as an urgent issue through the implementation of systematic remedial projects. The paper will outline the procedures involved in the approval process for the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) and explain how the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system works in Ogoniland. The study approach is a mixedmethod research design, which will entail a field survey and stakeholder consultations, and the study of the rules in order to gain knowledge of the effectiveness and transparency of institutional remediation governance. Findings show that despite the existence of established regulatory frameworks and guidelines such as the EIA Act, the Rio Declaration, and the IAIA, a series of bureaucratic delays and inter-agency lack of coordination and community participation in project design and monitoring have marred the implementation process. Moreover, the presence of variances between the released and budgeted funds has diminished accountability, therefore, eroding trust amongst the local communities. It ends with the recommendations on a more inclusive, transparent, and internationally benchmarked approval process as one of the core drivers towards sustainable remediation and the improvement of environmental justice in the oilsensitive region of Nigeria.

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