By Obiabin Onukwugha
A non-governmental organisation, Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO), has held a one-day exchange programme for journalists in Uganda and Nigeria on reporting the impacts of oil exploration and exploitation.
AFIEGO is a public policy research and advocacy organisation that works with various stakeholders to promote human rights observance, environmental conservation and climate action amidst oil and gas activities in Uganda and the African Great Lakes region.
Speaking at the opening session of the training on Thursday, Diana Nabiruma from AFIEGO said the aim is to strengthen journalists to report on the human rights and environmental risks of oil exploitation in Uganda, in the midst of corporate capture.
She noted the importance of journalists from Nigeria sharing their experiences since the country has been ahead in oil and gas production. “We believe that you, journalists from Nigeria, can offer insights on the environmental, social and health impacts of oil activities in the Niger delta,” she stated.
Uganda like Nigeria has had its fair share of impacts from oil exploration activities.
Recently, TotalEnergies has embarked on oil pipeline laying project in the East African state, a project said to have devastated thousands of people’s livelihoods.
A report by Human Rights Watch said if completed, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project will ultimately displace over 100,000 people.
It was also gathered that more than a dozen Ugandan journalists have been assaulted and had their equipment destroyed in trying to cover oil and gas exploratory issues in the country.
During the session, participants shared their experiences. They also spoke on the impacts of oil companies activities in the Niger Delta region and in Uganda.
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In his presentation, Dr. Nathan Nwakanma, a journalist with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said host communities of the Niger Delta were deceived into.giving out their lands for oil exploration without due compensations because of their hospitable nature.
He said, several years after the oil well in Otuabagi community, Oloibiri, where oil was first struck in commercial quantity have dried up, the impacts on the environment were still being visible and felt by the people.
Nwakanma regretted that the federal government of Nigeria prefers to listen to the barrels of guns than the cries of the people of the Niger Delta. He further stated that oil companies employ divide and rule tactics, thereby causing inter/intra communal crisis.
Also, Obiabin Onukwugha, a journalist with NatureNews Africa, pointed out the devastating effects of gas flaring on communities.
She said, communities of the Niger Delta, especially women and children have suffered devastating effects ranging from watery eyes, respiratory problems, itchy skin rashes, excess heat waves, low crop yield,. biodiversity loss, loss of adequate sleep, amongst others.
She regretted that more than ten years after the creation of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) under the Federal Ministry of Environment to clean up and restore the environment in Ogoni as a pilot for the remediation of the entire Niger Delta region, the agency is yet to achieve any visible result.
Speaking on the “Tips for Navigation Media Capture when reporting on Extractives”, Rachel Mugarura-Mutana, from the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME), Rachel Mugarura-Mutana, noted the need for journalists to recognise players, contractual restrictions, opaque deals and financial influences of the state and the oil companies.
She explained that corporate capture involves a situation where government entities (State) and large corporations exert undue influence or control over media outlets thereby shaping the narratives, priorities and coverage of news and information.
Mugarura-Mutana stated: “The movement of personnel between government regulatory bodies and the oil and gas industry can create a culture of coziness. This weakens oversight and allows industry talking points to dominate media coverage.”
She added that the media can continue in the campaign through educating, the public about media capture, developing a support system, fact-checking and protecting their sources.
