By Joseph Edegbo
Participants at this year’s first quarter Media Roundtable on Climate and Environment have attributed most of the environmental challenges experienced to human activities.
Organised by the Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF), in collaboration with Bridge That Gap Initiative, the participants made up of Journalists, CSOs and experts, on Monday in Kaduna, noted that the human activities had driven animals and birds into extinction, as some plants they supposed to be fed on, are cut down.
Environmental degradation caused by erosion and flood as well as pollution, they agreed, have also negatively affected both the surface and ground water that could be used for domestic and industrial purposes.
“Wells which most people depend on have dried up, while trees providing shades are either withered or cut down.
The participants spoke of the need for the Kaduna State Government to be zealously guided by the Environmental Impact Assessment on Its Urban Renewal programme to arrest most of the environmental hazards arising from the project.
Earlier, the Executive Director, Africa Media Development Foundation, Mr Iliya Kure had told the participants that the program which began in 2018 was to continually interact with experts in the media to strengthen them in their reportage in various fields of journalism.
Mr. Kure who spoke on Planning and Writing Compelling Human Angle Stories, tasked Journalists to humanize their stories which should be issue based and presented in simple language and emotional way as well as with empathy and compassion.
Human lives, the AMDF Boss said, should be uppermost in their eagerness to tell stories so as to save lives first.
Co-ordinator, West African Regional Climate Reality Project, Gloria Kasang Bulus disclosed that an Early Warning System has been set up in communities in Kaduna State to identify hazards which would be responded to promptly and with support.
She however reminded the participants that Environmental issue is everybody’s business, hence the need for all to mitigate.
The Chairman of the Kaduna State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Hajiya Asmau Haliru described the Media Roundtable as timely and commended the AMDF for the tireless efforts in the training of members of the Union.
