How to bridge science, tradition for co-governance in Nigeria’s marine policy reform — Reseacher, Oluwatoyosi Abikoye

While Nigeria boasts of policies on marine governance, people who bear the brunt of climate impacts remain excluded from governance despite their deep environmental knowledge. In this interview with Tribune Online, Oluwatoyosi Abikoye, a PhD researcher at NOVA School of Law in Lisbon and co-author of “Marine Policy and Community Engagement: Rethinking the Role of Vulnerable Groups in Climate and Ocean Action on Lagos’ Atlantic Coast” (Elsevier, 2025), discusses how integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) can reshape marine policy and climate resilience in Nigeria. Read…

Can you introduce yourself and share what inspired this policy paper?

Thank you for the opportunity. I’m Oluwatoyosi Abikoye, a PhD researcher at NOVA School of Law in Lisbon, Portugal, where my research examines provisional arrangements under the Law of the Sea and how these legal mechanisms can support climate adaptation and sustainable ocean governance. My work often connects the legal dimensions of ocean governance with national and regional policy practice, which informed this paper’s focus on integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into ocean policy in Nigeria.

This paper was co-authored with my sister, Abimbola Abikoye, an MBA candidate at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Together, we wanted to address a gap we both observed — the disconnect between community-level adaptation efforts and formal ocean policy frameworks in Nigeria.

Our motivation came from the lived experiences of women and persons with disabilities in Lagos’ fishing communities — individuals who carry the weight of climate impacts daily but whose voices rarely shape policy. We saw a need to document their knowledge, experiences, and resilience strategies through an academic lens that could influence governance.

As first author, my focus was to translate these governance principles into a policy framework that combines sound legal reasoning with the everyday realities of coastal communities.

Could you walk us through how the study was conducted and what methodologies guided your research?

Certainly. We adopted a mixed-methods design that combined legal and policy analysis with empirical community research. Between 2022 and 2024, we engaged six coastal communities in Lagos — Oyingbo (Kadara), Badagry, Ikorodu, Makoko, Mosafejo, and Epe — capturing both statistical and narrative data.

We conducted structured surveys, focus group discussions (FGDs), and interviews with 540 participants, primarily women and women with disabilities who depend on fisheries for their livelihoods.

To complement these field insights, we conducted a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) to assess how communities adapt to climate shocks and what governance mechanisms exist to support them.

We then cross-referenced these findings with key legal and policy documents such as the Lagos Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (LCARP 2024) and the Lagos State Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (2012).

All research phases were ethically cleared by the Federal Department of Fisheries, the Lagos State Ministry of Environment, and community leaders. This ensured that the study upheld both legal integrity and community consent.

Our goal was to move beyond theory — to show that real-world adaptation depends on how governance frameworks connect with local realities.

Why does Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) remain excluded from formal marine and climate policies in Lagos?

It stems from a combination of institutional rigidity and structural design. Marine governance in Lagos — and indeed across Nigeria — is heavily influenced by centralised, expert-driven policy frameworks. These rely on scientific modeling, which is critical, but they often ignore local, generational knowledge systems that have long supported coastal survival.

There is also a policy hierarchy problem: TEK is not formally recognized within environmental legislation or marine policy guidelines. Because of that, agencies treat it as informal rather than complementary evidence.

Our research revealed that communities, especially fisherwomen, possess intricate environmental awareness — from wind patterns to tidal shifts — yet these insights are not captured in official adaptation plans.

We argue that until TEK is institutionally recognised within Nigeria’s marine governance laws, its exclusion will continue to weaken policy effectiveness.

The Lagos Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (LCARP 2024) is a key focus of your analysis. What gaps did you identify, and how can they be addressed?

LCARP 2024 is an important step forward — it outlines infrastructure-based resilience strategies, flood control, and governance reforms. However, it largely underrepresents community participation and omits Traditional Ecological Knowledge as a policy input.

To close this gap, we propose the Dual Adaptation Model, developed in our paper. It calls for co-governance frameworks that merge scientific and traditional systems through structured community engagement.

For example, TEK-based early warning mechanisms — such as local weather observation or tidal prediction — could be institutionalised alongside meteorological data.

Additionally, integrating TEK into LCARP implementation committees would ensure that adaptation plans are informed by those directly affected, rather than imposed on them.

Your study focuses on women and persons with disabilities. From a policy standpoint, what barriers prevent their inclusion in climate governance?

From a governance perspective, the barriers are both systemic and cultural.

Legally, there are few mandated inclusion clauses in Nigeria’s environmental or fisheries frameworks that require gender or disability representation. Institutionally, participation is often tokenistic — communities are informed, not consulted.

Culturally, traditional gender roles still influence how leadership and knowledge are valued. Yet, these same groups are often the first responders during climate crises, leading local adaptation initiatives.

We recommend that future marine policy in Lagos adopt gender-responsive budgeting and representation quotas to ensure that women and persons with disabilities are not just consulted but empowered as decision-makers.

How can Nigeria build on Lagos’ experience to develop a national framework for inclusive marine governance?

Nigeria has a unique opportunity to transform how marine governance is defined. Lagos can serve as a policy laboratory — a model for integrating community adaptation into national frameworks.

At the national level, this means:

· Integrating TEK in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and relevant marine legislation.

· Creating multi-level governance structures that connect federal, state, and local adaptation councils.

· Promoting knowledge-sharing networks that link coastal communities, universities, and policy institutions.

This approach would align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals — particularly SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) — by reinforcing governance that is inclusive, transparent, and locally driven. It also reflects broader regional priorities outlined under the ECOWAS Integrated Marine and Coastal Strategy and the African Union’s Blue Economy Framework, both of which emphasise community-driven ocean governance as a cornerstone for sustainable development.

What’s your closing reflection?

Although this study was co-authored with my sister, it represents more than collaboration — it reflects two disciplines converging: law and policy meeting sustainability and management.

Our research shows that climate resilience cannot be legislated from above; it must be co-created with communities. When local knowledge is legally recognised and communities become policy partners, marine governance moves beyond compliance — it becomes justice in practice.

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