The Federal Ministry of Environment has engaged Lincoln Publication Limited to train environment reporters on sustainable environmental reportage .
The training was aimed at engaging journalists to bridge the gap between media and the Ministry in ensuring improvement in the level of interactions, to strengthen mutual understanding and improve in environmental reporting.
The two-day training workshop was declared open by the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal with the theme:“Engaging Media outfits on reporting environmental sustainability in Nigeria,” held at the Green Building, Maitama, Abuja.
The Minister disclosed that the mass media plays a critical role in information dissemination especially within the environmental sector, emphasizing that through media platforms, complex environmental challenges are being translated into simple narratives that inspired actions and promote accountability.
He therefore, implored journalists to see the workshop not only as a platform for knowledge exchange, but as a call to action.
“The tools of your profession, pens, microphones, cameras, and keyboards are powerful instruments for change.
“Stories told today can shape behaviours, influence policy, and inspire hope.
Together, Nigeria’s environment future can be secured by protecting natural heritage, strengthening climate resilience, and advancing inclusive and sustainable development for present and future generations”, he stated.
Balarabe further stressed that the media serves as a mirror through which society understands itself, the megaphone that amplifies truth, and the bridge connecting policy to the people, and the efforts in projecting the policies, programmes, plans, and activities of the Ministry are highly appreciated and pleased for the sustainability of the momentum.
The Minister reemphasized that the environment is not an abstract concept.
“It is the air we breathe, the land that feeds us, the rivers that sustain communities and the climate that shapes the future”.
He emphasized that Nigeria as a country has its own share of unprecedented environmental challenges: creeping desertification in the North; devastating floods and erosion in the South-East and South-South; oil pollution and gas flaring in the Niger Delta; rampant deforestation; and the escalating impacts of climate change.
According to him “These are daily realities affecting millions of citizens and threatening food security, public health, livelihoods, and national development.
He stated that Journalists are key stakeholders in bridging those gaps through sustainable reporting and informing the public about the need to make the environment greener.
Balarabe disclosed that under the able leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Renewed Hope Agenda the Federal Ministry of Environment has intensified efforts toward building a cleaner, greener, and more resilient Nigeria.
He however, used the medium to highlight some landmark initiatives such as the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project and the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), restored over 1.14 million hectares of degraded land and supported the planting of more than 1.5million trees across the country, adding that, the achievements demonstrate a clear national commitment to securing environmental sustainability while advancing economic growth and job creation.
The Minister reiterated the Ministry’s commitment in supporting the media through improved access to first hand information, data, and field activities, as well as by fostering an enabling environment for effective reporting and strengthening collaboration that is essential in advancing shared goals.
In his opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Salihu Aminu Usman, lauded the media for the crucial role they have been playing in projecting the image of the ministry in a good light, adding that their partnership has been instrumental in communicating not only what the Ministry is doing, but also in promoting practical ways through which individuals and communities can contribute to sustaining the environment.
The Permanent Secretary who was ably represented by Director, Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Engr. Bahijjattu Abubakar, stated the collaboration remained vital as collective actions are required to address the environmental challenges facing the country.
Usman called for more synergy and collaborations between Ministry and Environment Correspondents for effective and efficient Reporting of the Ministry’s activities and programmes.
One of the beneficiaries of the training, Mrs. Grace Njoku of the Pulse News, an online publication commended the top management of the Ministry for organising such important training as it would further increase their abilities and maintain mutual understanding and strengthen relationship between the Ministry and the reporters covering the Ministry.
Ibrahim Haruna
Director, Information and Public Relations
