Dangote Group, in conjunction with Climate Africa Media Initiative Centre (CAMIC), has trained journalists in North East geopolitical zone of Nigeria on environmental reporting.
At the two-day training, the journalists were charged to imbibe and inculcate the habit of reporting climate change and environment for sustainability, making it part and parcel of their day-to-day activities.
With the theme: ‘Reporting the Environment for Sustainability’, the workshop was aimed to equip the journalists with rudiments of Environmental Journalism and reporting in their daily reportage.
While declaring the event open, Jibrin Abubakar, Media Public Relations, officer of Dangote, noted that the media was central in championing any change needed to take place in the society.
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“We in Dangote see the media as partners in progress and the need to train journalists on environmental reporting,” Abubakar said.
He lamented the devastating effects on land caused by flood in some parts of the country, saying government, media and individuals have to play their part to secure the environment from destruction.
“As it stands today 99 percent of air we take is no longer pure, it is only 1percent, we need to secure the environment with the natural things that are endowed particularly trees, plants and flowers with good and clean water, ” he said.
John Ngamsa, senior lecturer, Modibbo Adama University, Yola, in his presentation, on ‘Environmental Awareness: A Mass Media Perspective’, noted that issues of environment are global, human, international and local.
He urged journalists to follow up on every environmental issues they report, engaging the government and individuals directly affected.
“With clean water, clean air our country will be a better place to live,” Ngamsa stressed.
Aliu Akoshile, executive director, Climate Africa Media Initiative Centre (CAMIC), who is also the Editor-in-Chief of NatureNews, spoke on ‘Journalism and Climate Change’, said that every life depended on environment reports from journalists.
He challenged journalists to develop passion in Environmental reporting for sustaining the nature.
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Shedrack Idi, a lecturer with Taraba State University in the Department of Mass Communication, presented a paper on the topic ‘Investigative environment Journalism.’
Pointing out the need for safeguarding and sustaining the environment for future generations, he noted that “every society gets the environment of its desire.”
He further stressed the need for journalists to take advantage of some institutions that support investigative environmental journalism.
