Local Government and Environmental Sanitation Enforcement in Oyo State: A Study of Ibadan North Local Government Area

This study assesses the effectiveness of environmental sanitation enforcement by local government authorities in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State, South West Nigeria. Environmental sanitation, encompassing waste disposal, drainage maintenance, market hygiene, and anti-littering enforcement, is a core local government responsibility under Nigerian law, yet compliance levels remain low and enforcement inconsistent across many urban communities. The study uses a descriptive survey design, with data gathered from 220 respondents including residents, market associations, local government sanitation inspectors, and private waste management contractors. The Regulatory Governance Theory and the Environmental Policy Compliance Model provide the conceptual framework. Secondary data includes Oyo State Environmental Management Agency reports, Ibadan North Council sanitation records, and recent academic literature on urban environmental governance in Nigeria. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression are used to analyze compliance determinants and enforcement outcomes. Findings are expected to reveal that low public awareness, inadequate enforcement personnel, political interference in fines administration, and poor waste infrastructure are the key barriers to effective sanitation governance. Recommendations include community sanitation awareness campaigns, recruitment of additional sanitation inspectors, introduction of digital complaint reporting systems, and public-private partnership arrangements for waste collection in high-density areas of Ibadan North. Keywords: Environmental sanitation, enforcement, Ibadan North, local government, Oyo State.