Influencing factors on knowledge of aquatic pollution and waste management practices among Nigerian youths

Nigeria has had a notable surge in population, resulting in increased industrialisation, intensive urbanisation, increased resource exploitation, and waste generation, all of which have had a negative effect on the aquatic environment. Due to these developments, the quantity of waste and the variety of contaminants that potentially enter the aquatic environment have significantly increased. Hence, this study not only investigated the specific influencing factors of aquatic pollution and waste management practices among Nigerian youth, but further investigated how geographical variations influence waste management practices. The result shows that employment status, settlement types and geopolitical zones influence the knowledge of aquatic pollution in Nigeria. Additionally, the results showed that the highest quantity of wastes generated was in the northwestern part of Nigeria, although, this could have been influenced by the lack of data on the overall quantity of waste generated from some regions. Also, there is a positive correlation between formal education and environmental awareness and knowledge of aquatic pollution and waste. This study further shows that those generating more waste were more likely to be highly educated likely due to “Planned Behaviour”. Findings from this study have provided information that will be helpful for policymakers to formulate interventions to promote the conservation sustainability of aquatic environments.