Operationalising the One Health Paradigm in Environmental Governance in Nigeria: Taking a Leap from Global Guide

The One Health paradigm recognizes the inextricable links between human, animal, and environmental health, requiring an integrated approach to manage emerging zoonotic threats and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The research investigates how the One Health paradigm operates within Nigeria's environmental governance because the country treats environmental issues as an afterthought for its three-part health system. The 2019 One Health Strategic Plan has resulted in Nigeria developing multiple environmental monitoring frameworks, which create jurisdictional problems and restrict government authority to conduct environmental pathogen monitoring. The study aims to assess global governance models through examination of the Dutch and Canadian systems to develop a Nigerian policy reform framework. The research uses doctrinal methodology through systematic review to discover systemic deficiencies in laboratory facilities and inter-ministerial collaboration. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has developed surveillance systems, but the environmental sector of Nigeria lacks formalized financial planning and statutory power. The study concludes that Nigeria must transition from rhetorical commitment to statutory institutionalisation of One Health to ensure sustainable environmental governance.