PhD Conferral Mr. Kasim Balarabe, LL.M.

Keywords: right to water and sanitation, General Comment 15, Human rights-based approach, ecosystem approach, justiciability of economic, social and cultural rights, judicial activism, UN General Assembly Resolution 64/292

"Realising the right to water and sanitation in Nigeria: A Human Right-Based-Ecosystems Approach"

This dissertation investigates how the right to water and sanitation can be realised in Nigeria. The aim is to provide an alternative approach which is human rights and environment friendly. Nigeria’s laws, policies and practices were analysed to determine their consistency with the relevant international legal obligations. The factors contributing to water and sanitation problems in Nigeria and the extent of Nigerians’ awareness of the right to water and sanitation were examined using the data obtained from empirical study. Legal interpretation, human rights-based and ecosystem approaches were studied using scholarly writing and were used in demonstrating how the right can be realised in Nigeria.