OGHENETEJIRI NYERHOVWO

Handling environmental issues as ethnic rather than national issues has been fingered as a major barrier in tackling  the enormous environmental challenges confronting the nation.

This was disclosed by Dr. Godwin Uyi Ojo, Executive Director, Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) at an ERA/FoEN organised training for selected journalists on investigative environmental reporting, he said that there is the need on the part of journalists for in dept reporting of the environment so as to enable stakeholders identify, pursue and exhaustively tackle the mammoth environmental issues affecting the country.

Dr. Ojo said  that there are lots of diverse  environmental issues across Nigeria that are under reported, adding, “We must note the Nigerian environment is in a parlous state. From the north, to the middle belt down to the southern states, there are environmental issues that are not exhaustively treated. Issues that make headlines most times are off key.”.

He noted that different regions in the country, have their peculiar environmental challenges, he identified  some of them  to include desertification in the northern part of Nigeria, gully erosion in the eastern part of Nigeria, the shrinking Lake Chad,  Oil pollution in the Niger Delta, gas flaring,  oil spill, flooding , deforestation among others.

According to Dr. Ojo, “the case of the Niger Delta where oil pollution has left toxic footprints on community lands, rivers, streams and the attendant impacts on livelihoods is well known. The gecocide in Ogoniland which has become the emblem of pollution has not been adequately captured and the reality not exhaustively presented to the Nigerian people. Here in Warri, oil ravages are evident in Jesse, Iwherekan and other communities that suffer oil spills and gas flares.”

Dr.Ojo said that action must be taken to mitigate the hardship environmental degradation brings especially with the present economic recession in  Nigeria, he spoke further, ” ERA /FoEN has proposed a National Basic Income Scheme (NaBIS) for the unemployed to unlock potentials buried away for lack of access to opportunities created by the environmental crisis listed above and mis-governance. Think of what a social security of a monthly stipend would offer to teeming unemployed in this time of recession and oil slump.”

Dr. Tunde Akanni, Journalism lecturer, Lagos State University spoke on Investigative Journalism  and  Exploring the Freedom of Information Act in  Investigative Journalism while  Veteran Journalist, Osedebamen Isibor, Editor, Nigerian Pilot Newspaper dwelt on Engaging Corporation/Government officials, finding and protecting sources, vulnerable people and potential legal issues as well as Checking facts/ Interview methods.

Philip Jakpor, ERA/FoEN Head , Media and Campaign,  led the interactive session on the Hanhikivi Nuclear Power plants twists.

The two days training which was aimed at broadening the horizon of journalists on investigative environmental reporting, took place at the Golden Tulip Hotel , Effurun with journa lists drawn from both local and national  media houses.