From Esther Akaa
The Country Lead of Oxfam in Nigeria, Dr Kenneth Akpan has charged media professionals to help in amplifying the voices of those affected by climate change in the country.
Dr Akpan gave the charge during a 2-day capacity building to strengthen the African Activist for Climate Justice ( AACJ) Project Team and the Media held in Akwanga Local Government Area ( LGA) of the state.
Dr Akpan said their contributions will create greater public awareness on climate change issues.
He said the media plays an important role in amplifying the voices the vulnerable groups who have been faced with climate challenges and the mitigating strategies implored by communities in addressing them.
” The media plays the role of telling the stories of the people in different communities who have been impacted negatively by climate change. It tells the stories of farmers who have lost their farms due to flooding, which some of them do not have the capacity to go out and tell their stories.
” It is therefore the media that can help them get the necessary attention they need,” he said.
The Country Lead said Oxfam in Nigeria supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs was implementing the AACJ action in the state, aimed at assisting the vulnerable communities to mitigate the effects of climate change.
He, therefore urged journalists to spotlight the successes so far recorded by the project in the state through documentaries and feature stories inorder to strengthen communities.
The Chairman of Akwanga LGA , Hon Safiyanu Isa Andaha while declaring the training open, said climate change was affecting farming activities and there was the need for communities to develop strategies for its mitigation.
Andaha assured that government will continue to partner Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in order to bring development to the state.
He, therefore urged participants to extend the knowledge gained during the training to communities across the state.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists ( NUJ), Nasarawa Council, Comrade Salihu Alkali, stressed the pivotal role of the media in driving community engagement and awareness.
He appreciated the organisers for the opportunity given to journalists to participate in the training, saying it will greatly build their capacity to write impactful stories for the good of the society.
Alkali charged the implementing partners to intensify their efforts in sensitising the public on critical issues and encouraged journalists to play critical roles in amplifying the voices of the people affected by climate change for better policy implementation by both government and other stakeholders in the state.
He also urged development partners to continue to include journalists in their programmes to enable them fulfil their watchdog role of the society effectively, for accountability and transparency in governance.
Also speaking, the President of Young Men’s Christian Association ( YMCA), Rev Dr James Agot and the National President, Association of Small Scale Agro-Producers in Nigeria ( ASSAPIN) , Mr Jonathan Joshua, both commended the state government for supporting the AACJ project in the state, noting that the action will impact positively on the community.
They called on media professionals to report accurately on the actions taken by the community to address the climate change effects.
In his presentation, the Lead Facilitator at the training, Mr Dan Yakubu who spoke on the topic, ” Media that for Climate Change: Most Significant Change Stories Reporting” , charged journalists to promote evidence based , traceable and verifiable information that can be published and shared at the community of practitioners’ platforms.
He called on them to promote climate change networking and collaboration between and among communities media, Civil Society Organisations ( CSOs) and the public for the over all development of the state and country at large.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of YMCA, Mr Ango Adamu while giving the overview of the project said it has built capacity of stakeholders in 5 LGAs of the state on climate related issues, such as the producing of Briquettes for household and commercial uses.
“The project has also established community nurseries in 5 LGAs for 2024 planting season as well as organised climate change school debates in 3 Senatorial zones of the state, among others,” he added.
The training was organised by YMCA Mada Hills NGO in collaboration with ASSAPIN with funding from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Oxfam in Nigeria.