By Abdullahi Lukman
Media professionals, climate advocates, and civil society leaders have called for stronger climate journalism, gender-responsive reporting, and greater public accountability as Nigeria intensifies its participation in global climate governance processes.
The call was made on Wednesday during a two-day media training conference on Climate Governance and Gender Mainstreaming in the UNFCCC and Minamata Conventions, organised in Abuja by EnviroNews Advocacy and Campaigns for Sustainability (Endvocas) in partnership with the Women Environmental Programme (WEP).
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Publisher of EnviroNews Nigeria and Executive Director of Endvocas, Michael Simire, said the conference was timely as climate impacts across Nigeria continue to worsen.
He said journalists play a critical role in shaping public understanding of climate change, environmental governance, and sustainability policies, describing the media as agenda-setters, watchdogs, educators, and catalysts for change.
Simire explained that the training was designed to improve media understanding of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Minamata Convention on Mercury, while promoting gender-sensitive environmental reporting.
According to him, women and girls remain disproportionately affected by climate change and mercury pollution but are still underrepresented in environmental policy discussions.
He urged participants to strengthen investigative reporting, data-driven storytelling, and policy analysis, while commending WEP for promoting gender inclusion in environmental governance.
Delivering a keynote address on behalf of the National Network Coordinator of the Climate and Sustainable Development Network (CSDevNet), Doose Joanna Hannu said climate change had become a present-day crisis affecting livelihoods and vulnerable communities across Africa.
Hannu noted that the media has the responsibility of translating technical climate issues into information the public can understand and act upon.
Founder and Global Lead of the Women Environmental Programme, Dr. Priscilla Achakpa, also stressed the importance of the media in bridging the gap between scientific knowledge, policy discussions, and public understanding.
She encouraged participants to use the conference to build partnerships, deepen knowledge, and promote gender-responsive climate solutions.
Former member of the House of Representatives, Sam Onuigbo, highlighted the importance of climate journalism in promoting accountability and public mobilisation.
Onuigbo said climate reporting should go beyond covering international summits and weather events, urging journalists to investigate climate financing, expose environmental corruption, amplify vulnerable communities, and counter misinformation.
He also called on media organisations to invest in climate literacy, investigative reporting, and specialised environmental desks to sustain informed public engagement.
Speaking on inclusion, Onuigbo emphasised the need for greater participation of women and youths in climate action, noting that both groups are among the most affected by climate-related disasters despite their contributions to environmental advocacy and community resilience.
He warned that delayed action and poor policy decisions could threaten Nigeria’s climate progress, adding that effective climate action requires collective responsibility from government, the media, businesses, civil society, and citizens.
The conference brought together journalists, climate advocates, civil society organisations, and development stakeholders to strengthen media capacity for effective climate governance reporting and gender mainstreaming in environmental policy discussions.
