ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE LAW OF ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE: CHALLENGES AND REFORM PROSPECTS IN NIGERIA

Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds significant promise for strengthening environmental governance in Nigeria, from improving pollution monitoring to optimizing naturalresources management.However, persistent challenges including gaps in legal frameworks, limited technical capacity, weak institutional coordination, and data privacy concerns undermine AI"s potential.With out-dated environmental legislation, unclear liability rules, and minimal stakeholder engagement, Nigeria faces difficulty ensuring fair, transparent, and effective AI deployment.This study explores the existing regulatory landscape, identifies barriers to AI-law integration, and evaluates reform pathways including the enactment of digital-ready statutes, capacity-building for regulators and practitioners, and multi-stakeholder frameworks.Based on qualitative document analysis and expert interviews, the research reveals a pressing need for harmonized legal guidance, public-private collaboration, and ethical safeguards tailored to local contexts.The prospects for reform hinge on political will, legal drafting reforms, and inclusive governance models.