By Angela Atabo
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s environmental sector have called for the adoption of real-time data and low-cost technology to strengthen environmental governance, climate action, accountability and evidence-based policymaking across communities and institutions nationwide.
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.
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 groups and environmental experts.
The Executive Coordinator of MAJI, Mr Onyekachi Okoro, said the initiative was designed to bridge existing gaps in environmental governance through the deployment of technology-driven monitoring and data collection systems.
Okoro said the Niger Delta had endured more than six decades of environmental degradation caused by oil spills, gas flaring and pollution, with climate change worsening flooding, rising temperatures and ecosystem loss.
According to him, inadequate access to credible environmental data has continued to limit the ability of government agencies, journalists, civil society organisations and communities to respond effectively to environmental challenges.
He said the project deployed low-cost, real-time air quality monitoring devices in environmentally vulnerable communities across Rivers, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom states to generate reliable environmental information.
Okoro explained that information collected from the sensors was transmitted remotely to the organisation’s DataCab online portal for analysis and conversion into visual and infographic formats for stakeholders.
“Real-time data for us is key because it kind of provides the environment and the platforms for accountability, inclusion and policy development that are key to ensure that environmental governance is done.
“We believe that the use of real-time data to engage is a primary tool, a primary platform to ensure that accountability in our environmental sector is achieved.
“Also, I think it is a very important tool because real-time data also provides opportunities for policy makers and communities to use fact-based tools and evidence-based structures to interface.
“This creates a holistic, horizontal playing field where interactions can be made, policies can be people-oriented and governments can now implement and carry out interventions that are based on data-oriented strategies.”
Okoro added that the project had organised capacity-building programmes on data analysis, reporting and utilisation for journalists, civil society organisations, government environmental agencies and community actors across the Niger Delta.
He said MAJI had continued to engage regulatory agencies, organise radio awareness campaigns and promote partnerships aimed at improving environmental monitoring, public participation and environmental governance outcomes.
The coordinator thanked the United Nations Democracy Fund and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung for supporting the initiative and called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, development partners and civil society organisations.
He also presented an air-quality monitoring device to representatives of relevant government agencies, explaining that the equipment remotely collected environmental information and transmitted it to the DataCab platform for analysis and public use.
Also speaking, the National Desk Officer of the Nigerian Climate Change Council (NCCC), Mrs Chioma Amadi, emphasised the importance of credible data in supporting climate commitments and policies.
Amadi said data credibility, ownership, political commitment and institutional sustainability remained critical factors for achieving Nigeria’s climate objectives and long-term environmental targets through 2060.
She called for improved technology deployment and capacity building across sectors to facilitate broader civic participation and strengthen transparency, accountability and decision-making in climate governance.
Similarly, Ms Ngozi Nwodo of the Environmental Quality Control Department of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), said the agency was strengthening technological capacity and manpower.
Nwodo said the measures would improve environmental data collection, analysis and utilisation, adding that NESREA remained committed to strengthening regulatory enforcement and environmental management systems nationwide.
She added that the agency was implementing programmes to enhance operational capabilities and expressed readiness to collaborate with MAJI and other stakeholders on environmental policy and regulatory frameworks.
On his part, the Assistant Director, Oil Field Assessment Department of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Mr Mohammed Gumsuri, described data as the foundation of regulation.
Gumsuri disclosed that NOSDRA had established a remote sensing and detection team that monitors satellite imagery daily to identify pollution incidents, particularly unreported oil spills from marine vessels.
According to him, the agency remains committed to strengthening data collection systems, expanding information integration and supporting inter-agency collaboration to improve environmental governance and emergency response mechanisms.
The government stakeholders unanimously emphasised that collaboration among government agencies, civil society organisations and development partners remained essential to achieving effective environmental governance and climate resilience.
They noted that no single institution could address Nigeria’s environmental challenges alone and called for stronger partnerships involving NOSDRA, NESREA, NCCC, the Federal Ministry of Environment and others.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru