Download RESOURCE AND ENVIRONlMENTAL ACCOUNTING

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RESOURCEANDEPWIRONlMENTALACCOUNTING
-EXPERIENCESFROlYlNIGERIA
JOHN 0. OLADOYE
FEDER4.L OFFICE
UGOS,
OF STATISTIGS
NIGENi
1. INTRODIICTION
There is a growing interest in the development of resource and environmental accounting in
Nigeria. The development of natural resource accounting has focused on placing monetary value on
known physical quantities of the rer;ource in order to obtain a wealth value for natural capita1 The
natural resource stock account is usually recorded both in physical and monetary terms.
2.STATISTKAL
CONCEPT AND FRAMEWORK
Nigeria has undergone rapi(l socio - economic and physical development sinte independence.
The country therefore faces r!limerous challenges to achieve development that is economically and
emironmentally sustainable. Development achieved so far cannot be described as sustainable because
the various development processes have misused or over exploited the natural resources and in the
process, af?ected the environment negatively as well. The exosystem of the country has been disturbed
as a res& of rapid population ,qowth with great pressure on the natural resources. This has resulted
to some extent in desertificaticq erosion, flooding and industrial pollution. Apart from the issue of
natural and man niade disaster global environmental matters constitute enormous threat. Meanwhile
attempts are now being made in de!;igning a statistical system that will describe the inter-relationsbips
between the natural environtnent and the economy
3, VALUATION ISWE
The natural resource stock account, is one of the major satellite accounts being currently
developed in the environmental and economic account at the Federal Office of Statistics. The issue of
valuation is also being properly considered. The system of Tntegrated Environmental and Economic
Accounting (SEEA) developed by he United Nations Statistical Division, applies three categories of
valuation in different versio18;. There are, mainteance casting of natural asset, depletion and
(environmental quality) degradation, and contingent and related valuations of welfare efforts of
emironmental degradation.
However, for reasons of data availability and compatibility with
conventional accounting rules we h;.ve adopted the market valuation approach.
4. DATA COLLECTION
In our present effort, v.‘e observe that the issue of environment in Nigeria are basically on
human population, land use and soil conservatiorl water resources management, tonic and hazardous
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substances, mining and mineral resources, agricultural production, air pollution, noise pollution,
working environment and settlements. Current efforts are also targeted towards the measurement of
deforestation, soil degradation, loss of biologital diversity and wildlife and toastal degradation
Deforestation for instance, is ene of the top priority environmental problems in Nigerian The data
collection efforts and analysis by the Federal Ofice of Statistics is in the area of extent of forest and
woodland, average annual depreciation, average annual reforestation, number and tontent of mnnaged
closed forest and protected closed forest, population density and sources of energy.
5. COKLUSrON
The present effort in developing resource and environmental accounting will definitely improve
economic performance measures and the measure of sustainable income and growth Meanwhile, there
are many empirital problems in definitions, methodology, data collection and imputing by vaIues to
factors where data are not readily available. However, further study is still needed before u,e can reach
a standardized accounting proccdure.. It is also envisaged that the data base and consequently the
information system will improve over time especially with improvements in the density of data points
and in the leve1 of sophistication of data gathering and analysis.
REFERENCES
Aina, E. A. (1990).
The Role and Requirement of Environmental Information System in Nigeria
Chokor, B. A. and Obadan, M. 1. (1995)., Environment and Economics in Nigeria: Towards a More
Effective Resource Pr-icing and Conservation.
Federal Ofice of Statistics, Lagas, Nigeria (199S), Nigerian Compendium of Environment Statistics
RESUMZ
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a un inter& montant dans le d6velopment de la comptabilité de ressoul-tes et
environnement au Nig&ia. Depuis I’independance, ce pays a subi un changement repide sur le plan
socio-economique, et physiquement m&ne. On est donc confi-ont& par un énorme défi’ pour réussir
economiquement et environmentalement. L’effort actuel dans la cotnptabilité de ressources et
environment va arnéloirer les mcsures de performance economique. Il existe actuellement les probletne
de definition methodologie et la collection d’infonnation, mais, avec le temps qui passe, on esp&-e que
la situation Samé‘liorait
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