Open Access Library Journal 2017, Volume 4, e4186 ISSN Online: 2333-9721 ISSN Print: 2333-9705 DOI: 10.4236/oalib.1104186 Dec. 22, 2017 1 Open Access Library Journal Transparency: A Tool for Effective Environmental Governance in Nigeria Saheed Matemilola, Isa Elegbede Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Cottbus and Senftenberg, Germany Abstract In the recent past, there have been calls for transparency in governance from different quarters. These calls testify to the importance of transparency to the overall social welfare. There is virtually no aspect of contemporary life that is unaffected by the system of governance, but governance today is almost en- tirely devoid of transparency. Transparency mechanisms encourage public of- ficials to act in the interest of the public. Corruption has real political, eco- nomic, and social costs and as researched in Columbia University and ana- lyzed by Transparency international, perhaps the more expensive cost is the environmental damage which often suffer either direct or indirect from bri- bery, extortion, unfair policies, and other forms of corruption. Thus, it has been widely acknowledged that increased transparency and public participa- tion significantly enhance the quality of decisions impacting the environment. These findings offer an intervention avenue in the shape of conservation, pre- servation, and environmental justice—through the tool of transparency. Re- surgent interest in the evaluation of development implications on the envi- ronment is not usually accompanied by the requisite transparency to address longstanding effectiveness problems. In order to sharpen the effectiveness, this paper examines the transparency instruments of environmental gover- nance. Analytical examples are used to explore the nature and significance of transparency in environmental policy making and implementation. This pa- per will heighten the discursive consciousness of the transparency instrument which in itself will catalyze the journey to effectiveness. Subject Areas Human Geography, Politics, Sociology Keywords Transparency, Corruption, Regulation, Civil Society, Environmental Governance, Consultation How to cite this paper: Matemilola, S. and Elegbede, I. (2017) Transparency: A Tool for Effective Environmental Governance in Nigeria. Open Access Library Journal, 4: e4186. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1104186 Received: November 23, 2017 Accepted: December 19, 2017 Published: December 22, 2017 Copyright © 2017 by authors and Open Access Library Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access