By Rasheeda Hamidu
Stakeholders have called for the adoption of real-time environmental data and low-cost technology to strengthen environmental governance, climate action and evidence-based policymaking in Nigeria.
The call was made on Thursday at a National Stakeholder Discussion organised by the Media Awareness and Justice Initiative (MAJI) under its Strengthening Data for Climate Action in Nigeria project in Abuja, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The programme was organised in collaboration with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and supported by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), bringing together government agencies, civil society organisations and environmental experts.
The Executive Coordinator of MAJI, Mr Onyekachi Okoro, said the initiative was designed to bridge gaps in environmental governance through technology-driven monitoring and data collection systems.
Okoro said the Niger Delta had suffered more than six decades of environmental degradation from oil spills, gas flaring and pollution, with climate change worsening flooding, rising temperatures and ecosystem loss.
According to Okoro, limited access to credible environmental data has continued to hinder government agencies, journalists, civil society organisations and communities from responding effectively to environmental challenges.
He said MAJI deployed low-cost, real-time air quality monitoring devices in vulnerable communities across Rivers, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom states to generate reliable environmental information.
“Real-time data for us is key because it provides the platform for accountability, inclusion and policy development that are essential to environmental governance,” Okoro said.
The National Desk Officer of the Nigerian Climate Change Council (NCCC), Mrs Chioma Amadi, said credible data, political commitment and institutional sustainability were critical to achieving Nigeria’s climate goals through 2060.
Similarly, Ms Ngozi Nwodo of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) said the agency was strengthening its technological capacity and manpower to improve environmental data collection and regulatory enforcement.
Also, the Assistant Director of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Mr Mohammed Gumsuri, said the agency had established a remote sensing team that monitors satellite imagery daily to detect pollution incidents, particularly unreported oil spills.
NatureNews notes that timely and credible environmental data support pollution monitoring, disaster preparedness, climate adaptation and informed policy decisions that protect ecosystems and public health.
NatureNews reports that stronger collaboration among government institutions, civil society organisations and development partners remains essential to building transparent, data-driven environmental governance and climate resilience in Nigeria.
