The practice of EIA in Nigeria, as in other nations, has been alearning curve, with the need for on-going capacity buildingand enhancement being a key on-going feature. The movetoward digital approaches to EIA will add to this challenge, asthe application of information computing & technology (ICT)requires different skills, knowledge and experience which, upto now, has not been part of the suite of capabilities needed inthe professional EIA community.- Draft EIA Report submitted to FMEnv by thedeveloper – who has produced it using EIAprofessionals that are accredited and registeredin line with Nigeria’s legislative requirements.Consultation occurs on the Draft EIA Report,with advertisement in newspapers and via radio,alongside physical copies provided to review.- Panel Review Meeting, the FMEnv forms areview panel made up of independent experts– academics + experienced EIA professionals –plus representatives from relevant Governmentbodies, depending on the sector the EIA projectrelates to. This is generally a 3-day meetingprocess, which includes:○ Considering comments received in relation toDraft EIA Report,○ Undertaking a site visit○ Technical review of the EIA Report and anyother documentationThe Panel Review Meeting can be attendedby the developer + their consultants andstakeholders are also able to attend.Following approval EIA projects undergoenvironmental monitoring in relation to both theirconstruction and operational phases. The formerhas a focus on checking compliance with theconstruction Environmental Management Plan.The latter includes expectations that the developerundertake quarterly monitoring and reporting ofcompliance – e.g. related to effluent discharges –and the opportunity for Government audit.The process remains heavily reliant on physicalcopies of documents and confirmation ofdeveloper information via direct observation ofthe site and in some instances data gatheringactivities by the Government. General advancesin the application of workplace technology haveclearly been adopted, examples include the writeup of EIA Reports via word processing and thesubmission of soft copy – PDF versions of suchreports on CD or memory stick – alongside hardcopy printed versions. Beyond this, however, thereis limited evidence for the application of moreadvanced digital approaches in Nigerian EIA untilthe last five years, or so, as discussed in Sections2.2 and 2.3 below.- Panel Recommendation Report to FMEnv,the output of the Panel’s view on whether theEIA Project should or should not be consentedand details of environmental conditions to beattached to the project, if consented.Willend Associates and FothergillTC Ltd – Digitization in and around Nigerian EIA9
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