Akinyemi, F.O. 
  
ture 
TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN NIGERIA'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: 
A SPATIAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY APPROACH. 
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j Olufunmilayo AKINYEMI*, Olayinka OGUNKOYA** 
*Lecturer II, ** Professor 
Obafemi Awolowo University 
Department of Geography 
Nigeria 
*fakinyem@oauife.edu.ng 
** oogunkoy@oauife.edu.ng 
Working Group VIV2 
KEY WORDS: Sustainability, EIA, SPOT, Land use/ Land cover, Multi-spectral data, GIS, Mapping 
ABSTRACT 
A persistent challenge facing developing countries such as Nigeria is how to promote socio-economic 
development while upholding environmental sustainability. A need for environmental sustainability is evident 
in the development of various transmission lines, (crude and refined petroleum pipelines, gas pipelines, high- 
voltage transmission line. Such transmission line usually have a right-of- way of at least 20m wide, and along 
which the environment is usually totally impacted. Changes to the environment involve removal of existing 
vegetation and replacement with low stature (grass) vegetation or the land is left bare and prone to gullying. 
Environmental sustainability is now being promoted by law in Nigeria, and this paper describes a case of the 
determination of a 400km long high voltage (330kv) transmission line (HVTL) route for the electricity utility 
company in Nigeria based on the policy of environmental sustainability. Remote Sensing, involving the use of 
current SPOT (XS) imageries was adopted in the selection of the route. In addition, existing topographic maps 
and aerial photographs were analysed. Sixteen landcover categories were established from the overall 
interpretation. Route selection was based on the distribution of the categorized landcovers in relation to the 
proposed corridor, and follows where the classified cover types had either the lowest potential impact value or 
where an existing line route is followed. The HVTL route proposed was selected as the preferred route, in order 
to avoid high indemnity cost areas, such as nucleated settlements, industrial areas, prime agricultural land 
planted to tree crops; and avoid human and industrial hazards as could be posed by proximity of high tension 
lines to structures such as the NNPC Tank Farm. 
1 INTRODUCTION 
A. persistent challenge facing developing countries such as Nigeria is how to promote socio-economic 
development while upholding environmental sustainability. Environmental sustainability implies such use of 
the environment in the present that will not compromise the ability of the environment to meet the needs of 
future generations (Mayor, 1988; Wolfgang, 1993). Sustainable development requires taking long-term 
perspectives, integrating local and regional effects of global change into the development process, and using 
the best scientific and traditional knowledge available. It seeks to maintain a balance between accelerated 
economic growth and environmental protection (World Bank, 1995). It involves the maintenance of 
environmental diversity and/or minimization of deleterious perturbation to the environment and the concurrent 
miximization of economic growth. A need for this type of balancing is very evident in the development and 
management of various transmission lines (crude and refined petroleum pipelines, gas pipelines, high-voltage 
transmission lines) which usually have a *right-of-way" of at least 20m wide, and along which corridors, the 
environment is usually heavily impacted. Changes to the environment along the corridors have involved 
removal of existing vegetation and replacement with low stature vegetation (grass) or the land is left bare. 
This may inhibit environmental sustainability. Environmental sustainability is now being promoted by law in 
Nigeria through the mandatory carrying out of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) prior to construction. 
Section 2 of the EIA Decree No 86 (1992) states that: 
  
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXIII, Part B7. Amsterdam 2000. 27