Indigenous Knowledge and Environmental Assessment in Petroleum Projects: Legal Recognition Challenges in Yobe State

This study examines the extent to which indigenous and traditional knowledge held by communities in Yobe State, North East Nigeria, is legally recognised and integrated into environmental impact assessments for petroleum projects in the Chad Basin. Indigenous ecological knowledge can provide critical insights into baseline environmental conditions, seasonal ecosystem dynamics, and culturally significant land uses that formal scientific assessments may miss. Using an empirical qualitative methodology combining ethnographic observation and legal doctrinal analysis, the research interviews forty community members and ten traditional knowledge holders in Gashua and Geidam LGAs, and reviews EIA methodological frameworks used by petroleum operators in Yobe. Comparative analysis draws on indigenous knowledge provisions in Canadian and Australian petroleum environmental law. Findings indicate that Nigerian EIA regulations lack any provision for systematic documentation or integration of indigenous knowledge, resulting in environmental assessments that fail to capture full baseline ecological data. The study recommends amending the EIA Act to mandate indigenous knowledge consultation protocols for petroleum projects in culturally sensitive communities. Keywords: indigenous knowledge, environmental assessment, petroleum projects, Yobe State, Chad Basin.