Environmental Management Education for Sustainable Development in Nigeria

A major challenge that has faced the human race the world over, especially since the 1970s, is the myriad of environmental problems arising from man's quest for rapid economic development. Countries worldwide have been developing their national policies on the environment to ensure, among others, that environmental concerns are integrated into the major economic decision-making process. Nigeria's document identifies 21 strategies, including Education, for the implementation of the policy. Environmental management is practically multi-disciplinary in scope and requires the training of professionals that will be equipped with critical and analytical skills to provide both preventive and corrective measures to address all types of environmental problems. Unfortunately, only 31 out of 141 Universities and other 52 degree/HND/NCE awarding tertiary institutions in Nigeria offer environmental management programs. This extremely too low and poor record, partly explains why Nigeria's environmental problems seem difficult to tackle. To effectively implement the policy applying the education strategy, through environmental management education is key. This paper therefore recommends that an appropriate and potent educational curriculum at all levels (i.e. from the primary, through secondary to the tertiary level) would lead to sustainable capacity building through environmental management education for sustainable national development