EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF INTERNATIONAL LAW ON CABOTAGE AND PETROLEUM INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The global nature of the oil industry and its complexity makes international law an essential feature of the industry. Notwithstanding the avalanche of legal framework and regimes, that regulate cabotage operation in Nigeria, the municipal laws did not oust the potency and supremacy as well as operation of international law in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. The aim of this paper is to analyze critically the positive and negative influence of international law on the Nigerian oil and gas industry. While the objectives are to uncover the best form of relationship between the international law regimes and national legal regimes. The paper seeks to bring the national law in line with the international best practices, taking into account the peculiar circumstances in Nigeria. The contextual typology of this paper is to link international environmental standards with Nigerian laws and regulations, by incorporating international oil and gas law principles into binding local regime. The authors conclude that although plethora of international instruments relevant to the oil industry has been ratified in Nigeria, the adaptation of these instruments remains inhibited by cultural, social, legal and economic influences associated with the socio-political complexion of Nigeria. The authors made an informed recommendation which would help national oil and gas industries to be operated in a sustainable manner. The contributions of this paper will be enormous because national oil and gas industry will now have benchmarks, standards and best practices to follow.