CHALLENGES OF CLIMATE CHANGE REPORTING AND THE MEDIA IN NIGERIA

CHALLENGES OF CLIMATE CHANGE REPORTING AND THE MEDIA IN NIGERIA

PAPER PRESENTED BY TUNDE AKINGBADE *AT THE FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, AFRICAN ADAPTATION PROGRAMME TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR JOURNALISTS 

                               INTRODUCTION

I have always quoted Jean-Marc Fleury who was Editor-in-Chief of the International Development Research Centre, (IDRC) in Ottawa, Canada who wrote a treatise titled; Reporting African Science. Fleury wrote about “The Great Expectations” from African Science writers. In that article Fleury observed that one of the obstacles considered by African governments as very important to science reporting “has been lack of journalists with specialized reporting skills necessary to present such information to the public accurately and interestingly.

“In the early 1980s in Nigeria, many university graduates from a wide range of disciplines outside mass communication joined the journalism profession. The establishment of The Guardian Newspaper, an elitist and urbane Newspaper, creatively designed with specialized beats fostered the growth of specialized information, specifically science reporting. Many graduates were employed to man these beats and other newspapers who wanted to remain in contention followed suit. I am one of the beneficiaries of “The Guardian School” not only in the field of environment reporting, but in investigative journalism as well. Specialized reporting in the past three decades has improved tremendously although there are many inhibitions to growth and expansion. Today, top flight professionals such as; microbiologists, geologists, town planners, agriculturists, medical consultants in teaching hospitals etc have also taken trainings in journalism in order to be able to disseminate their information to the public.

Akingbade (1999) wrote that a specialized or science reporter must possess adequate training and be able to determine how best to disseminate the information and must have access to information worldwide and be able to effectively position himself within a network of colleagues so able to receive as well as provide information.

                                                   

Before we go into issues and challenges involved in reporting Climate Change in Nigeria, there is need to understand the media environment in Nigeria: who the climate change reporter is; the challenges and how to communicate climate change information effectively to the public. Over two decades ago, Mr. Frank Barton, the British renowned reporter who was part of the faculty that gave me formal training in Environmental Journalism in Berlin with Peter Pruefert, the German environment journalism trainer insisted that the environment reporter must strive to write for the “man in the biscuit factory”. 

Environment Protection has become a source of concern in Nigeria in the last 25years. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) was created by Decree 58 of December, 1988 following the scandalous dumping of toxic waste at Koko port by an Italian waste merchant. It was the Nigerian press that broke the embarrassing news while the government was threatening fire and brimstone at OAU meeting in Ethiopia. The press has been commended not only for her role in championing the cause of nationalism, and the enthronement of democracy- but in the vanguard of environment protection

THE CLIMATE PROBLEM

What is climate and what is climate change? Climate plays an important role in survival of man and the ecosystem. Climate, according to experts is the average weather that is experienced in a particular area or region. Dr. Anthony Anuforom, Director General of Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NIMET notes that climate change occurs when there is “difference over a period of time (with respect to a baseline or a reference period) and corresponds to a statistical significant and of mean climate or its variability, persistent over a long period of time (e.g. decades or more). Climate change results from man’s activities against the environment. Experts have confirmed that the world’s climate has been changing due to the release of greenhouse gases (GHG) such as Carbon Dioxide, Methane, and Nitrous Oxide and in another complex chain of reaction through manmade destruction of ozone layer through the release of CFCs. In some natural instances, the climate of some areas can change briefly through volcanic eruption. Some of the basic meanings and interpretations of these technical terms are simplified in my book, The ABCs of Hearth and Environment in Africa a Quick Guide for schools and colleges (Tintune Environmental Services, Lagos, 1996).

Twenty two years ago, at the celebration of World Meteorological Day in Nigeria, one of the Nigeria ’s Meteorological experts sounded an alarm in Lagos that the sun was getting hotter and radiating more energy to the earth than it has done since creation. Very few people, including the media thought that was something alarming that needed a space in the newspaper or television. The following year in 1991, the WMO secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland released a book entitled, Climate Change – World Leaders viewpoints Professor G.O.P Obasi, former Secretary General of WMO in the foreword noted that in the late 1960s and early 1970s, WMO was concerned about the changes to the world’s climate and to the composition of the atmosphere.

It was in February 1979 that the WMO convened the first World Climate Conference with other organization in the United Nation Systems.

Since that year, new bodies and conferences have been held under the umbrella of the WMO, UNEP, and UNFCCC to tackle climate changes.

Former Brazilian President Fernando Collor de Mello disclosed that data collected by experts indicated that the total deforestation of the rich Amazonian forest corresponds to 254tons of Carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere – or 3.7 percent of the total emissions throughout the world.  “That was the president that hosted the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Brazil which set the current global agenda for sustainable development.

President Robert Mugabe observed that “with the rivers becoming heavily silted up, the flood danger is increased adding that in 1978 when the visited Somalia, he could have wept to see trees being choked by the advancing desert, rather like people being drowned in flood.”

The German Bundestag in her 592 – page book. Protecting the Earth’s Atmosphere – an International Challenge noted that the rain forests in Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire and other countries located in savannah regions have been destroyed”.

GREEN HOUSE GASES AND CLIMATE CHANGE

  The import of this is that the destruction of forests has contributed to the release of Co2 one of the GHG. What are GHG? These are gases such as Co2, Nitrous Oxide, Methane (released from dumpsites) etc into the atmosphere. These gases warm the atmosphere and cause the earth’s climate to change. More importantly, the major culprit in the release of GHG is industrial process and emissions from machinery.

Since the industrial revolution, more Co2 and GHG have been released into the atmosphere – causing he earth’s climate to be changing studies by the IPCC, have confirmed that earth’s climate is changing.

CLIMATE CHANGE, RIVERS AND OCEANS

What has the Ocean got to do with global warning? What has the rivers got to do with it? And what has maritime or marine environment got to do with global warning or climate change. The man – made spewing of Co2 into the atmosphere has changed the natural pattern of Oceans, sea, courses of rivers, lakes etc.

              CLIMATE CHANGE AND JOURNALIST S

However, let us refresh our memory as African environment journalists or journalists who desire to specialize in reporting climate change to discover that our world is facing one of the 21st century’s biggest challenges; more deadly than AIDs. Why? AIDs many be by choice. But when the terror of climate change comes, it wipes out communities, villages, towns and cities at once. Think of the Tsunami or the New Orleans’ Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Here lies the challenge to the mass communicator, the environment journalist. Look at the recent flooding in Lokoja and how the media reported with bold headlines as if it’s not an ecological and natural and weather related disaster. it as

Kenji Makino, Professor of Sociology at Science University, Tokyo Japan and member of Japanese Association of Science and Technology Journalists observed in his presentation at the second World Conference of Science Journalists in Hungary that poor science reporting occurs in the country despite her economic advancement.

Makino recalled how the nation and the people of Kobe, a western port town were caught napping when earthquake killed more than 6,000 people. He blamed science journalists and the mass media for overlooking the possibility of earthquake in the region because journalists often reported the high possibility of a big earthquake in the central part of Japan , near Tokyo -the capital. Despite the fact that seismologists has warned that earthquake may happen in Kobe , no science journalist took the matter seriously. This is one of the challenges for the climate change reporter. While the environment reporter might write a warning signal given by a climatologist, or oceanographer, environment scientist or weather officer, his editor who has a bias for political economic, society, fashion may throw his story into the trash can or accuse him of writing about birds and butterflies and insects. About ten years ago, I wrote an article about Nigerian’s erratic weather warning that Nigeria may be having another third season I tagged; Rainmattan. Some editors poked fun at me in another story where I mentioned studies by university experts at ABU Zaria that certain birds known to some parts of the Savannah have been driven to the rain forest region. You know birds are bio indicators that can be used to determine what is happening to an area. I was accused by an editor for writing about butterflies! There was also the case of an editor who was informed about 2,000 dangerous chemicals that entered Nigeria freely and he told me to allow the chemicals to kill people first. But trust The Guardian, the story was lead story the following day. Nigeria has about 850 kilometers coastline. Nigeria is under threat from climate change. The dessert is encroaching into communities in the north and rivers are drying threatening life stock. These are fertile grounds for reporter to write and relate findings from experts to people on living and survival strategies.

                                                  

The Nigerian Environment has suffered from massive pollution and degradation in the last 55years. In the North, the Sahara desert is threatening everyone while the sea is eating our 800 Kilometers shoreline with great intensity. The air is fouled by industrial fumes. In the Delta, gas flaring is scorching the earth. The climate is changing and the media cannot afford to sit on the fence.

 STUDIES

There is no doubt that the media is out to make profit and stay afloat. As such some have specialized in what is known as “Junk” Journalism which Fred Omu (1997) noted is characterized by sexual permissiveness, social frivolities and irresponsible and reckless invasion of privacy”. In the mid-1980s a foremost newsmagazine had based the cover story on farming. But it did not sell. Many specialized magazines have collapsed. The Heath care magazine published by Dr. Bola Olaosebikan is resting. The African Science Monitor Published by Chief M.K.O Abiola which I once edited is no more due to the lack of vision by some people and under the yoke of June 12 imbroglio. Media Rights Agenda, an NGO based in Lagos studied newspapers of November 2001 and found that issues related to politics and democratic governance dominated coverage in both print and electronic media. According to the study, the press gave more coverage to the 36 state governors, their functionaries and agencies. The survey covered five radio stations and six televisions stations. Denloye et al (2002) at the Lagos State University, Ojoo went through 2,646 newspapers and 580 newsmagazines in Nigeria. The papers were; The Guardian, Daily Times, The Punch Vanguard and defunct National Concord. The Magazines were African Concord, The News, Tell, published between 1990 and 1998. The study showed 17.5 percent of the newspapers carried environmental reports. These stories were reported as news items and the focused on;

Deforestation, Erosion, Wildlife and conservation.

                                                   

PROBLEMS OF THE NIGERIAN MEDIA AND CLIMATE CHANGE REPORTERS

The Nigerian media, though vibrant has been suffering from many problems in the past two decades. Some of the problems include; inadequate funding by media owners and some greedy publishers. There are also ravenous workers who have created or spotted fraudulent loopholes in printing and circulation sections. It’s the journalist on the field that suffers from their mismanagement and corruption. There is also lack of awareness amongst some editorial staff and editors who either dump the stories or use them as briefs. Another challenge is that the climate or environment reporter who is not adequately informed may walk pass a good story.

There is also lack of basic equipment and many climate change journalists in the electronic and print have to buy their working tools themselves. If not, how would they drive home their messages? 

Again, there is space or time constraint in the newspaper, radio and television. The climate change reporter has to make his story very interesting to be able to get good space and airtime.  

CONCLUSION

Over the years there have been instances where journalists suffered and were killed for reporting. The science and climate change journalist too are not immune to risks in volatile regions.  In Caracas, Venezuela, a science journalist-Bastidas suffered from ailments induced by his years of imprisonment. In Nigeria- no journalist has been directly brutalized for reporting the environment. But we should not forget that Ken Saro-Wiwa, a writer was judicially murdered over his agitation for environmental rights at the Niger Delta. All over the world, the press has been in the forefront of environment protection as well as dissemination of information on climate change.

Ogunleye (2002) in her Environmental Democratic Dispensation, the Awareness imperative noted that two environment programes in Oyo state only gave five minutes and one minute jingle on dust bin usage. This means that Climate issue is hard to sell to the public. But the reporter must remain focused and dogged. The Climate change reporter must read widely on every issue and relate his stories to governance and people in order to sell his story to the editor. In the tradition of the Media, when dog bites a man, it’s not a story. But it’s a story when man bites a dog. The media in the 21st century should not wait for man to bite the dog and face calamity from climate change before sending an alarm and saving man from killing himself by daring to bite the dog.

*TUNDE AKINGBADE

 

Germany’s Ministry of Economic Cooperation Scholar 1990 

NMMA, JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR 1992,

United States Consulate, IVLP alumnus, USA, 1993

ARTISTS ANGEL VERMONT STUDIO CENTRE, USA 2001

The Environment Person 2008

CNN/Multichoice African Journalist of 2012 Highly Commended Environment Award

Phone: 08034640544

E-mail: tintune2003@yahoo.com