SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: A CONCEPTUAL APPROACH

Abstract

Nigeria, among other 193 countries, endorsed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) pact for sustainable development in 2015 with a desire to be among sustainably developed nations by the year 2030. This implies rapid development in the three main pillars of sustainable development: sustainable economic development, sustainable social development, and sustainable environmental development. However, it is unclear if Nigeria will achieve these targets by 2030, as problems still exist in the three main pillars of sustainable development in Nigeria. Particularly, Nigeria’s growth rate has failed to keep pace with those of the developed nations over the past forty years; there has been an increase in poverty coupled with a wide income gap; and there has been an increase in environmental pollution in Nigeria. This study, therefore, conceptually examines sustainable development in Nigeria and concludes that for Nigeria to be among the sustainably developed nations targeted , it must maintain a balance and experience rapid development in the three sustainability.