I t was in early this month, specifically in the afternoon while having a severe pain of malaria fever that prevented me from going to the state library where I do my routine journalistic tasks when the Vice President (North) of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Muhammad Mansour Ibrahim called via my cell phone.
The SWAN VP called when I was sitting at my desk at home thinking about what to be the subject of my sports column that weekend because the fever in me could not allow me to the state library, my usual point.
I initially missed the call but while trying to get him back, I got another call from him and after exchanging pleasantries; he informed me about a Virtual Training on Reporting Climate Change and the Water Sector which will be held on Tuesday 17 September 2024.
The VP told me that he included my name among the five journalists he was asked to name from Kano by the organizers in Abuja. “It is going to be a seminar which will be conducted via Zoom on that day at noon”, he added.
I thanked him for the gesture and happy for remembering me but quickly started thinking how the training will be, especially through Zoom.
At first i was scared and frightened because even though i am computer literate, i have never attended or experienced any zoom gathering be it meeting or otherwise.
But being an MSc Information Technology Certificate holder, I summoned courage and asked for the link which Mansour asked me to wait for because the organizers will contact me and furnish me with more and necessary information.
Fortunately, some few minutes later, I was contacted via SMS with full information about the seminar, its date and time and also my account details.
Without hesitation I forwarded all and patiently waited for the day of the seminar. On that fateful date, i got my laptop fully charged and waited unwearyingly for the time of the training which was 12.00 pm.
And when the time finally comes, I carefully followed the link supplied by the organizers and suddenly got myself linked to the seminar.
A young lady whose name I could not remember was the moderator of the program. At first she welcomed all of us that got the linked without any challenges.
In fact she did very well. I am sure all of us appreciated her.
She firstly introduced Comrade Sani Baba, the Executive Director of Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF) whose welcome addresses equally signaled the commencement of the much awaited training.
Comrade Baba started by welcoming the participants to the first Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF) which was a Virtual Training on Reporting Climate Change and the Water Sector which according to him, is the series of engagements to bring crucial issues of national concern to the generality of the people of the country.
“In conceiving this training, CFSF realizes that the media is key not only in keeping the public informed as part of its watchdog role, but also in eliciting robust discourse that ultimately translates into policy responses and actions” he said.
“The indispensability of the media in addressing the climate crisis and its impacts on other sectors is exemplified in the prioritization of education and training in Article 6 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)”, the Executive Director of Citizens Free Service Forum explained.
Sani Baba further added that, education and training are useful resources for governments, civil society and of course, the media as they encourage people to take the lead and cooperate in creative climate change actions.
“Realizing that Nigeria, like most African countries and countries of the Global South, carry the biggest burdens of the climate change impacts, we conceived this training to capacitate the media to report the issues from informed perspectives.” Comrade Sani Baba further explained.
The Executive Director of Citizens Free Service Forum then explained that they deliberately linked the climate crisis to water stress because this issue is often overlooked in the climate discourse in Nigeria.
“Yes, the situation in coastal communities facing inundation is dire. Yes, the deforestation issue is alarming but the mother of all crises is one that affects water that we all consume and depend on for survival”, he said.
“Additionally, Comrade Sani Baba told his audience that they are all witnesses to the downward march of the Sahara which has led to scramble for the few available areas where water is available. Lake Chad, which was over 25,000 square kilometers in the 1960s, is less than 1,500 square kilometers as we speak and it is still shrinking. … The floods that have ravaged Maiduguri and now spreading to other parts of the country will leave behind a trail of further stress on water because the flood waters have polluted the few available wells and other sources of water that our people depend on.
“In reporting these issues and exposing their underlying causes, the media is crucial. We must not forget that policy makers rely on what they read or hear or watch to be able to make laws that are rooted in facts. The task of ensuring the right information gets to them is shouldered by the media.
“It is for this reason that we have linked up with the resource persons who are experts on the topics they are to handle to speak with us today and give us pointers to areas of climate change and the water sector that we must x-ray in our reports and the kind of solutions we must also advance.
“Friends, once again, from the staff and management of the (CFSF) you are welcome to this training”, Executive Director concluded.
Immediately, the young lady introduced the next speaker who was Philip Jakpor, the Executive Director, Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI).
Philip Jakpor started by presenting some slides of pictures Via a PowerPoint which portrayed the dangerous and devastating effects of Climate change in our societies. Jakpor then started with a question “Is gloom and doom all there is to climate reporting?”
He named IPCC reports, UNFCCC, World Meteorological Organisation, United Nations Environmental Programme and additional sources – Climate justice groups as his sources of his background information.
According to his presentation Fossil fuel companies – Shell, Chevron, Eni, Exxon Mobil, BP, Total etc. and many others like International Emission Trading Association (IETA) and Agro industrial plantation companies – Wilmar International Limited, IOI Group, Agropalma, etc as the Drivers of Climate Change and Industry Behind the Crisis.
He advised reporters not to trust the industries anymore because Shell was said to influence the Paris Agreement.
Philip Jakpor mentioned the Industry Language which are False Solutions: Such as Geoengineering –Ocean fertilization, Ocean Pump, Biomass, Biodiesel, Biofuel, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Carbon Markets, Carbon Credits, Emission Trading, REDD, Net Zero And Water Privatization.
All these according to him have Differentiated Impacts on Women, Children, Indigenous People, Frontline Communities, Workers, Wild life, Global South and Africans.
Call to Action: Jakpor further stated that reporters’ reports criticizing the current industrial models must go in tandem with recommended and proven solutions. It must expose drivers of the climate and water stress; It must muster civil society, communities on the frontlines to take their destinies in their own hands by demanding climate justice; It must urge policy makers to make just and climate-friendly laws and It must urge delegates to Climate talks to uphold the demands of their people.
Mr. Jakpor then stressed why the media is important. According to him the media interprets what is happening, the media is the convergence of perspectives on issues, the media reaches the masses irrespective of their geographical location and the media provides space for public debate.
Other points according to him is that the media provides space for advocacy, the media is the platform where the people reach the government and vice versa and finally the media plays watchdog role – on individuals, corporations, government etc
To report Climate Change effectively, Philip Jakpor wants journalists to leave the comfort of their office and visit environmental flashpoints, put human faces to stories, speak with experts, emphasize interconnectedness of man and the environment – How does gas flaring in Nigeria’s Niger Delta affect other regions of Nigeria?
According to him, journalists should also obtain and simplify statistics, ask probing questions, predict and amplify solutions. And to get the job started, they must do initial groundwork by Scanning old reports, go to the internet, get books, look for faces to tell their stories – women, children, victims etc
They should also spend time outside official hours to dig for information, seek experts’ views and counter views, and target writing feature stories.
They are more desirable than racy news stories where you hardly have time to do deeper work and after writing, they should do fact checking again before publishing because some things might have changed.
The moderator then cautioned the speaker about time and the speaker rounded up and thanked everybody for listening.
The next presenter was Hauwa Mustafa, the Executive Director, Tubali Development Initiative. Her topic was “Climate Change and the water sector”
Malama Hauwa had a very long but interesting discussion. She reminded us that the world was once one global entity before nature, through volcanic eruptions and melting ice started changing the format of the planet.
Madam Mustafa hinted that, many centuries perhaps before the existence of mankind because we are told of many animals that have gone extinct and many ecosystems and geographical space changed long before industrialization.
She further revealed that two major outcomes of the summit among others were; the creation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
After much and because of time constraint, Hauwa Mustafa was asked to conclude by the moderator which she lastly stated that, climate change affects the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe and the weather we experience.
Therefore, reporting climate change must necessarily address the fundamental right to live a decent life, which means that the most essential resource that guarantees life must be protected, managed and sustained in such ways that are available and accessible in quality and adequacy at no cost.
She finally stated that, the life that water gives is being destroyed by human activity through climate change, the media owes the world a responsibility for critical analysis, education and advocacy towards saving the planet.
“We need to join global partnership and solidarity towards a system change that is capable of saving our planet because there will be no jobs including journalism on a dead planet”, she concluded.
After Malama Hauwa Mustafa’s presentation, the next presenter was Micheal Oche, whose paper’s topic was: The Role Of The Media In Addressing Reporting Gaps In Climate Change And The Water Sector.
In his introduction, the presenter stated that the media play a crucial role in shedding light on the impact of climate change and water management by holding those in power accountable, and amplifying the voices of affected communities.
Mr. Micheal Oche serially itemized the role of media in climate change reporting as follows:
The first is Raising Awareness: Media plays a crucial role in informing the public about climate change, its causes, and its consequences, thereby raising awareness on the issue.
Then Educating the Public: By providing accessible information and explanations, the media helps educate people on complex scientific concepts and the implications of climate change for different regions and communities.
The third is Influencing Public Opinion: Media coverage can shape public perceptions and attitudes towards climate change, influencing how people view the urgency and necessity of taking action.
Next is Effective Reporting Strategies. And the last point is the media strategy for reporting Climate Change must not only inform, but should inspire action.
This involves a planned and systematic approach to engage with various forms of media to achieve specific communication goals. Under guide for developing a media strategy for reporting climate change, the presenter identified eight key steps which include:-
1. Identify key messages about Climate change that you want to convey: Develop key messages that align with your objectives. These messages should be clear, concise, and tailored to resonate with the target audience.
2. Identify Target Audience: Determine the primary audience you want to reach through the media. This could include the general public, policymakers, or specific demographics affected by Climate change issues.
3. Utilize Social Media: Develop a strong presence on social media platforms. Share updates, stories and engage with followers to amplify the union’s message and reach a broader audience…
Under challenges, the presenter mentioned the gap that can lead to inaccurate or incomplete reporting, which can:- Exacerbate misinformation and confusion among the public; Undermine efforts to raise awareness and build support for climate action and Failure to hold policymakers and other stakeholders accountable for their actions on climate change.
And to address these gaps, the presenter noted that there is a need for: Training and capacity-building programs for journalists on climate change reporting; Access to reliable data and information on climate change; Collaboration between journalists, scientists, and other experts to ensure accurate and effective reporting.
On the order of the moderator, Mr. Micheal Oche concluded that, solution journalism is the way to go: Media practitioners in Nigeria must turn attention to solution journalism.
It is not enough to use our platforms to expose the rot in the system. We should go one step better by highlighting strategies, innovations and approaches that have worked and that should be emulated.
According to him, solution journalism is not about ignoring problems or sugarcoating reality but about providing a more balanced and constructive narratives that can help drive positive change.
This was the point where my computer battery disappointed me because it ran down and the system went off.
It was the very point where I started thinking the benefits of the training and why this type of training should be for sports journalists too because of the benefits it will accord to our teeming sports journalists not only in Kano but in the country.
Sincerely, I see this type of training as beneficial to journalists because besides being a marketplace of ideas, it was a forum where senior journalists with wealth of experience shared their knowledge and understandings with their junior ones for the betterment of what they report.
Honestly, even though my computer battery disappointed me, I really enjoyed and learnt a lot from the training.
And one interesting thing about the training was the payment of the Ten thousand Naira allowance to all the participants which was posted to my bank account the next day despite not being connected from its beginning to the end of the training.
Similarly, I am also happy that the organizers have emailed some of the missing presented slides into my inbox which I will go through one by one at my private time to tap the knowledge shared and if possible shared with my readers.
More so, I want this kind of training to our sports journalists and presenters in Kano because it will benefit us all by adding value to our reports, stories and presentations.
I consider this sort of training to be a promoter of abilities and skills since every one of the presenters is particularly learned on the points doled out to them and they similarly gave a careful conversation on the subject and conceivable way out of the circumstances.
All the more significantly, it will make the majority of us great, educative and engaging columnists, essayists, writers and reporters.
It will assist us with diminishing the tediousness of using one single word in our regular reports, stories or introductions.