Evaluation of media support project for environmental reporting in Nigeria
Table of contents Executive summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1.0 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2.0 Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 3.0 Operating environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 4.0 Project goals and activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 5.0 Key findings.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
5.1 Activities have been relevant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
5.2 The project has been effective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
5.3 Increased use of social media was a major impact. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.4 Improved skills and self-confidence will remain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.5 Long partnership enabled reaching good results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.6 Gender balance must be recognized on every step.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.7 Some other remaining challenges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
6.0 Conclusions and recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
6.1 General recommendations.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
6.2 Specific recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Appendices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Appendix I: Literature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Appendix II: List of interviewees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Abbreviations ERA = Environmental Rights Action JISE = Journalists Initiative for Sustainable Environment Vikes = Viestintä ja kehitys -säätiö (Finnish Foundation for Media and Development)
Evaluation of media support project for environmental reporting in Nigeria This evaluation covers the third phase of the media support project for environmental reporting from 2015 to 2017. Published online in November 2019.
AUTHOR
PHOTOS
Iida Simes
Tiit Blaat Peik Johansson
Viestintä ja kehitys -säätiö Finnish Foundation for Media and Development
The media support project for environmental reporting in Nigeria has been supported by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and Finnish Environmental Journalists Association.
Environmental Rights Action executive director Godwin Ojo speaking at a training on investigative environmental reporting in Lagos in 2014.
Executive summary â– The Finnish Foundation for Media and Development (Vikes) and its Nigerian partner organization Environmental Rights Action (ERA) have been implementing a media support project for networking and environmental reporting in Nigeria since 2009 with support from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the Finnish Environmental Journalists Association. During the last phase of the project, the main goal has been to secure the institutional capacities of the Nigerian environmental journalist association, Journalists Initiative for Sustainable Environment, or shortly, JISE, that has been created during the previous phases of the project. Nigerian journalists who have been trained in more investigative reporting skills and the use of social media were also expected to be better prepared to promote environmental reporting and raise awareness of environmental challenges and how these are affecting the livelihoods of people in general and especially the local communities in the oil-producing areas and other ecologically vulnerable regions. Through the improved knowledge about the environment from the in-depth reporting by the trained journalists, Nigerian citizens were expected to become more informed and encouraged to make their voices heard and demand environmentally friendly laws from policymakers. The key activities carried out in Nigeria were multimedia and social media trainings for networking and environmental reporting, and training courses on more investigative 3
Most of the project’s goals have been achieved leading to the fact that Nigerians are getting more information on environmental issues.
environmental reporting. All trainings aimed to improve the professional skills of Nigerian journalists and deepen their knowledge of environmental issues. The purpose of this evaluation is to analyse the results of the project, recognize the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of ERA, JISE and the whole project intervention, as well as potential threats in the operating environment. The evaluation also gives recommendations for the future work both in Nigeria and possibly also in other countries where similar types of projects could be carried out. One of the main conclusions of the evaluation is that most of the project’s goals have been achieved leading to the fact that Nigerians are getting more information on environmental and political issues. The main activities of the project have been relevant. All people interviewed emphasized the fact that investigative environmental reporting and better social media skills are very important currently in Nigeria. The project has also been effective in reaching its results. Most journalists involved in the project are now actively making use of social media to promote environmental reporting by sharing environmental stories, reports and other information. Participants of training courses on more investigative environmental reporting learned about tools of investigative journalism, such as interviewing methods, fact-checking, engaging government and corporations, finding and protecting sources, and taking into account potential legal issues. Participants found the courses useful and everyone believed their skills had improved. Stories produced as a result from the trainings covered various ambitious topics, from waste dumping and gas flares to the prospects of nuclear power in Nigeria. The fact that Vikes and some of its major actors already had good connections in Nigeria and a long partnership with ERA vitally enabled this project to build up a good working environment with mutual understanding and eventually achieving the expected results. Significantly helpful for the project has been the expertise of ERA in environmental issues and also its very close link to media and journalism, many of the local supervisors being former journalists. Both Vikes and ERA should do their best to ensure that these connections are not lost, but rather cherished and encouraged to make use of in other future cooperation partnerships – where ERA could act as an expert organization. One such potential partnership could be a journalist training project on how to report about oil and gas related issues in Tanzania, Mozambique, Kenya and Uganda, the new oil and gas producing countries in East Africa. Vikes and ERA should also compile a course module for learning about environmental reporting and make it accessible on the internet. Vikes could also help in establishing strong networks among the beneficiaries of its projects and partner organizations in various parts of the world. Journalists especially on the African continent should be encouraged to share experiences in the field of environmental reporting and activism, as some of the issues covered, such as climate, energy, oil production and uranium mining, are accurate in other parts of the continent too. 4
1.0 Introduction â– The Finnish Foundation for Media and Development (Vikes) and its Nigerian partner organization Environmental Rights Action (ERA) have been implementing a media support project for networking and environmental reporting in Nigeria since 2009 with support from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the Finnish Environmental Journalists Association. This evaluation is an independent assessment about the last phase of the project from 2015 to 2017. The evaluation aims to provide Vikes and ERA and their stakeholders, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, and the wider public with sufficient information about the performance of the project paying particularly attention to the impact of the project activities against its immediate objectives and its overall objective. During the last phase of the project, altogether 74 journalists from eight locations in Nigeria have been trained in more investigative research for environmental stories and how to make use of social media and multimedia tools to promote environmental reporting. As a result from the trainings, more environmental reporting has been produced, and shared actively through social media networks, especially Facebook, blogs and Twitter. Part of the project has been to build up a Nigerian environmental journalist network called Journalists Initiative for Sustainable Environment (JISE) and help it become financially independent. Since 2009, altogether 21 trainings or seminars on environmental reporting have been jointly arranged by Vikes and ERA reaching more than 150 journalists from 12 states in Nigeria, including many journalists who have taken part in several of the trainings. The defined main goal of the project has been to secure the institutional capacities of the Nigerian environmental journalist association JISE, created as part of the project. Nigerian journalists who have been trained in more investigative reporting skills and the use of social media were also expected to be better prepared to promote environmental reporting and raise awareness of environmental challenges and how these are affecting the livelihoods of people in general and especially the local communities in the oil-producing areas and other ecologically vulnerable regions. Through the improved knowledge about the environment from the in-depth reporting by the trained journalists, Nigerian citizens were expected to become more informed and encouraged to make their voices heard and demand environmentally friendly laws from policymakers.
As a result from the trainings, more environmental reporting has been produced, and shared actively through social media.
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Environmental journalist Blessing Ibunge from Port Harcourt was previously working for the newspaper National Network. Now she is the Rivers State correspondent of The Authority.
2.0 Methodology ■The evaluation is based on a review of project documents and interviews with project actors and beneficiaries, as requested in the terms of reference (ToR) of the evaluation. The evaluator was specifically asked to provide qualitative assessments about whether the project activities have resulted in the expected objectives, and whether these activities have been the “right thing to do� in the current Nigerian media environment and society in general. The evaluator was also expected to find out some of the obstacles which might have been hindering or limiting the expected outcomes and impacts. To begin with, key project documents were reviewed by the evaluator, and key questions were identified jointly with representatives of Vikes and ERA. Interviews were made in Nigeria and Finland with dozens of project actors, including project coordinators in both countries, project initiators, trainers, beneficiaries and other stakeholders. The evaluator visited Nigeria in November 2017 for interviews with representatives of ERA and JISE, and journalists in Lagos and Port Harcourt who had participated in the trainings arranged as part of the project. Interviews in Nigeria were executed with care and in a time-consuming manner. Some interviews were made individually, some as group interviews. The interviews were highly structured, yet at the end, both the evaluator and the persons being interviewed were able to discuss more freely, which enabled new, unexpected questions the rise to the agenda. Some people were also interviewed by phone or Skype, but basically these discussions were continuing the ones started earlier in person. The interviews were carried out with mutual understanding of the aims and goals of the project, meaning that it was quite obvious that the participants had been working and concentrating on the topics they had practiced earlier during the project. As part of the evaluation mission, the evaluator visited Ogoniland and witnessed the disasters in areas with long history of oil spills. In Lagos, the evaluator also took part in a seminar on energy production prospects in Nigeria and plans to construct nuclear power plants in the country. After the evaluation expedition, the evaluator has continued to be in contact with several Nigerian journalists, which has made it possible to clarify new questions raising through the course of the work.
Interviews were made in Nigeria and Finland with dozens of project actors, beneficiaries and other stakeholders.
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3.0 Operating environment â– Nigeria is home to over 160 million people. It occupies a total landmass of 923,763 square kilometres and is rich in oil and gas resources, which together account for over 90 per cent of foreign exchange earnings. Nigeria's oil wealth has, however, not translated into better living standards as about 54 per cent of its population live below poverty line and have little or no access to proper health care. Oil production in Nigeria does not follow international standards. The environmental hazards caused by oil production are a serious problem in the Niger Delta oil-producing areas. Oil spills occur regularly, and the gas which is mixed with the crude oil is burnt into the air in high flares causing acid rains and huge amounts of greenhouse emissions. The pollution of waterways and field lands has in many places destroyed the livelihoods of local communities. Previously, there have been conflicts and security concerns in the oil areas as local groups have claimed for compensation from oil damages and a bigger share of the oil incomes. In addition to oil pollution, Nigeria also experiences several other environmental disasters, such as erosion, desertification and felling trees for charcoal, loss of biodiversity due to logging or oil palm plantations, marine pollution, road traffic pollution, industrialization and poor waste management. Other more recent concerns are related to the Chinese companies who have established industrial plants and are often careless about the environment discharging waste into community waters and polluting the air. In 2016, it was announced that the Russian state-owned nuclear company Rosatom and Nigerian government have negotiated about the construction of four nuclear reactors in Nigeria. Two nuclear power plants are intended to be constructed in Kogi State in the central part of the country, and the other two in the south-eastern Akwa Ibom State. Even with the good results from the previous phases of the Vikes and ERA project in Nigeria, there are still huge challenges related to environmental reporting in the media. Nigerian media still tends to report on environmental issues in a biased manner often neglecting the rights of affected communities. Environmental journalism is also not covered in the curriculum of journalism studies in any of the journalism education institutions in the country.
Oil companies in Nigeria are still impacting heavily on the environmental coverage in the media, because they are among the biggest advertisers.
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Community leaders and fishermen at Goi creek in Ogoniland destroyed by an oil spill in 2010.
During the military governments, which were in power until the end of the 1990’s, the media was afraid to publish information about environmental problems caused by oil production and human rights violations in the oil areas. Representatives of NGO’s reporting on oil damages were arrested, many activists of ERA among them, as well as journalists visiting oil-producing areas. The freedom of the press has improved significantly since those days, but until the launch of the Vikes and ERA project for environmental reporting, media houses had no journalists focusing specifically on environmental reporting, and even now environmental laws are not yet widely known. Oil companies in Nigeria are still impacting heavily on the environmental coverage in the media, because they are among the biggest advertisers. Companies or local politicians are able to compromise the independence of the press, because competition is tough in the media sector. Nigerian media companies lack resources to run their businesses effectively and fairly. Some media houses have even failed to pay their employees’ salaries for months. In such a situation, correspondents cannot usually ask for travel costs to be paid when they would need to visit oil spill sites or other locations of environmental damage. Nowadays, Nigerian consumers have access to the news flow through various media platforms, the most important of which are radio, television, online media, newspapers and magazines. Yet, the printed media is not very visible, the loud radio is more important in the mundane life in traffic jams. The most important social media applications in Nigeria are Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Instagram and Snapchat. Yet it must be recognized that these tendencies in social media change quickly when new applications appear in the markets and gain popularity. 9
4.0 Project goals and activities â– The main goal of the project has been to secure the institutional capacities of the Nigerian environmental journalist association, Journalists Initiative for Sustainable Environment, or shortly, JISE. The project aimed at directly assisting the institutionalization process of JISE and to support its own fundraising, so that in the future the journalists themselves can run the network with little or no external support. Nigerian journalists who have been trained in more investigative reporting skills and the use of social media were also expected to be better prepared to promote environmental reporting and raise awareness of environmental challenges and how these are affecting the livelihoods of people in general and especially the local communities in the oil-producing areas and other ecologically vulnerable regions. Through the improved knowledge about the environment from the in-depth reporting by the trained journalists, Nigerian citizens were expected to become more informed and encouraged to make their voices heard and demand environmentally friendly laws from policymakers. KEY PROJECT ACTIVITIES: 1. Five multimedia and social media courses for networking and environmental reporting
At least 50 journalists were expected to participate in these multimedia and social media training courses arranged in five different locations in Nigeria. Improved networking skills should result in at least two thirds of trained journalists making active use of social media in promoting environmental reporting.
2. Training course on investigative environmental reporting once a year
15 journalists were expected to participate in these trainings arranged in three cities in different parts of Nigeria. As a result, the journalists should have improved their practical skills in more investigative research for environmental stories. Each journalist was also expected to produce an investigative environmental story or programme to be published or aired in the media.
3. Study visit to Finland by two representatives of the Nigerian environmental journalist association
The JISE members would see how environmental journalists in Finland run their organization and raise funds. They would also visit local media houses to learn how journalists in Finland are making use of social media. The study visit was expected to increase the organizational capacity of JISE.
4. JISE programme manager employed for administration and fundraising
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A person concentrating on building the administration and launching a fundraising campaign would be vital for upholding the work of JISE. The employment of the programme manager was expected to result in improved fundraising.
Lilian Owhondah from Independent Monitor by a poster of late Ken SaroWiwa at a meeting in Bori with Ogoni Solidarity Forum.
5.0 Key findings ■ Below are some of the key findings of the evaluation. Their presentation loosely follows OECD/DAC evaluation criteria assessing the activities in terms of their relevance, effectiveness, impact and sustainability. Relevance refers to the extent to which the objectives of the project are consistent with the needs in the present Nigerian operating environment. Effectiveness is the extent to which to project’s objectives have been achieved or are expected to be achieved. Impact is a measure of the projects long-term effects. Sustainability refers to the continuation of the benefits of the project activities in the long term.
5.1 Activities have been relevant All people interviewed, as well as the evaluation of the tasks finalized by the participants, emphasized the fact that investigative environmental reporting and better social media skills are very important currently in Nigeria. The training courses, visits and support to JISE were well-chosen activities in order to achieve the goals.
5.2 The project has been effective Most concrete actions have been implemented according to the project plan. The following passages discuss each of the project’s key activities and the extent to which their immediate objectives have been achieved. ACTIVE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING The planned trainings on the use of multimedia and social media were organized according to plans. The five trainings arranged in 2015–2017 took place in Port Harcourt, Lagos, Calabar, Enugu and Ilorin. Total of 55 journalists participated in the trainings, which clearly exceeds the original target of 50 journalists. The training modules included setting up and managing various platforms of social media, such as Facebook, blogs, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. For YouTube, there were also hands-on sessions giving advice on how to shoot and upload videos to the platform. A survey with the training participants was carried out by ERA in 2017. The great majority of participants from the previous trainings replied to the survey and gave their feedback regarding their use of the social media platforms. When the participants were asked how useful they found the training, most of them found it “very useful” and the rest “useful”. All participants said they use Facebook actively, most of them every day. Twitter was a bit less important as most journalists said that they tweet more than once a week, or some even daily. Blogs were important as well. Some participants were blogging daily, while most post into blogs weekly or more. Only few participants did not blog at all. In regard to networking skills, the outcome target indicator was that after the trainings “at least two thirds of trained journalists make active use of social media in promoting environmental reporting”. Therefore, the following percentages can be considered as very good results: Most participants were making use of social media to promote environmental reporting by sharing their own environmental stories (87%), by publishing or sharing videos or pictures 12
Video shooting exercise at a multimedia and social media training in Port Harcourt in 2015.
related to environmental issues (81%), by sharing reports or press releases by ERA (81%), by sharing, liking or commenting environmental stories by other Nigerian media (74%), by sharing environmental reports, information by other NGO’s, research institutes or government (74%), by monitoring environmental news (71%), by sharing, liking or commenting environmental stories from other countries (71%), or by debating or campaigning on environmental issues (65%). INVESTIGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING BROADENING Intensive training courses on more investigative environmental reporting were organized each year since the second phase of the project, staring in 2012. In the third phase of the project, training courses on more investigative environmental reporting were held in Abuja, Warri and Uyo. Key mentors in these trainings were the Finnish journalists Timo Sipola and Peik Johansson, and Nigerian journalism lecturer Tunde Akanni from Lagos State University. The objectives of the trainings were to share knowledge about local, national and global environmental issues, to examine challenges facing investigative environmental reporting, and also to consolidate the relationship between the media and communities impacted by environmental problems. Participants also learned about the tools of investigative journalism, such as interviewing methods, fact-checking, engaging government and corporations, finding and protecting sources, and taking into account potential legal issues. Participants of the trainings were expected to prepare before the training a story idea that would be developed together with the mentors during the training days. The topics which were chosen were demanding – showing lots of courage, enthusiasm and ambition of the trainees. Story topics varied from waste dumping and gas flares from oil production to the prospects of nuclear power in Nigeria. In his report from one of the trainings, Timo Sipola made a remark that most of the trainees were new to the concept of investigative reporting and clearly in need of this kind of practical approaches for learning. According to the replies to training assessment questionnaires, the participants found the courses useful and everyone believed their skills had improved. 13
Nigerian project coordinator Philip Jakpor visited the Fennovoima and Rosatom nuclear power plant construction area in Pyhäjoki, Finland, in 2016.
After the trainings, the journalists were expected to produce and publish investigative environmental stories. Most of the participants have been able to do so, and some of the stories are of good quality. The ones who eventually failed to write the investigative story no longer work in the branch of journalism. They do hope it is not a permanent change – their media houses have ceased to exist due to financial difficulties, but the ones expelled are looking for new jobs in the field. For a list of the published investigative environmental stories, see appendix I on page 22. In 2017, the training on investigative environmental reporting focused entirely on nuclear power. This was due to the recent news that the Russian state-owned nuclear company Rosatom was planning to construct nuclear power plants in Nigeria in upcoming years. Therefore, the training on investigative environmental reporting was agreed to be held in
In 2017, the training on investigative environmental reporting focused entirely on nuclear power. This was due to the recent news that Russian Rosatom was planning to construct nuclear power plants in Nigeria. 14
Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, near to one of the two planned nuclear reactor sites. The training participants were local reporters and national mainstream newspaper correspondents from Akwa Ibom and neighbouring Calabar State. During the training and a field visit to the community living in the location of the planned nuclear reactor site, the local journalists learned the basics of nuclear power as source of electricity and on gathering and processing information on the topic of which they did not have much knowledge before. VISITS TO FINLAND AS A USEFUL METHOD OF TRAINING In order to increase the organizational capacity of the Nigerian environmental journalist association, two representatives of the organization were invited to Finland for a study visit in 2015. Ugonma Cokey, news editor at Voice of Nigeria and acting chairperson of the environmental journalist association, visited Finland in May 2015. Cokey was supposed to be accompanied by another journalist from Nigeria, but the colleague failed to be given a visa by the Finnish embassy in Abuja. During the study visit to Finland, Ugonma Cokey met with Finnish environmental journalists to see how they work and how they run their own association, and visited the Finnish Broadcasting Company to learn about the ways how they are making use of social media in their daily news operations. Cokey’s tour also included a seminar arranged by the Finnish Environmental Journalists Association and taking part in a panel discussion at the World Village Festival in Helsinki together with Nigerian environmental activist Nnimmo Bassey and Finnish environmental journalist Timo Sipola, one of the trainers of this project. From the meeting arranged with key people from the Finnish Environmental Journalists Association, Cokey reported in writing having “learned about the association, their operations and some of their past projects, such as field trips to other countries”. She also added: “The organization gets sponsorship for the trips by selling adverts to the annual publication of environmental journalists, which includes a list of contact details of its members and articles about trips, investigations and trainings.” This visit has resulted directly in JISE planning to implement the same idea: putting together a catalogue of journalists and raising money by selling advertisements. Especially impressive was the fact that the Nigerian project coordinator Philip Jakpor from ERA on a planning mission to Finland in 2016 visited Pyhäjoki community and the construction site of the Fennovoima and Rosatom nuclear power plant. In an earlier phase of the project, he already visited the contaminated lakes and areas surrounding the Talvivaara mine in Sotkamo. Jakpor was also invited as a speaker to a seminar arranged in Helsinki in 2017. During all the visits, he was able to meet with Finnish environmental journalists, researchers and activists, and also journalists from other countries. JISE HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY REGISTERED AND FUNDRAISING STARTED In the beginning of year 2016, Nigerian journalist Ugochukwu Chimerizi was recruited as coordinator to build up the administration of the Nigerian environmental journalist network that had been created during the previous phases of this project. Before February 2016, the journalist network had no officially recognized name, so it could not be registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). Later in 2016, the network got an approved name, Journalists Initiative for Sustainable Environment, which was finally cleared for use in the registration procedure. After this, the organisation was able to gain presence in social media. It immediately opened its Facebook pages and created a Twitter account. At the time of writing this report, members across the six geopolitical sphere of Nigeria were told to be in constant touch with JISE through phone contact, email and social media. JISE has started to set up zonal or regional offices helping to coordinate nationwide environment monitoring. Members in each region are expected to document environment 15
related issues and policies of government as well as private sector. JISE also has its board of trustees carefully selected to cover the six geopolitical spheres of Nigeria. In February 2018, CAC officially granted JISE the Certificate of Incorporation, which meant that the organization was finally registered as a legal body – being qualified to open a bank account and start working on fundraising.
5.3 Increased use of social media was a major impact The key goal of the project was to make Nigerian citizens more informed on environmental issues, and with achieving this, the people should be more encouraged to make their voices heard and demand environmentally friendly laws from policymakers. A great part of this goal has been achieved. The trainees in the field of investigative reporting have been key players in reaching the results. They have brushed up their skills and produced important stories, but without extra funding they are seldom being able to use their skills in in-depth investigations which take time and effort. Also the participants of the social media trainings are using the tools and seemingly expanding their knowledge. The updates in the social media platforms and tweets followed by the evaluator to this day prove these different paths of distributing information are noticeable leading to the fact that Nigerians are getting more information on environmental and political issues. The journalists in Port Harcourt, located in the Niger River delta, have over the years learnt to work on issues related to crude oil production, the damages that constant oil spills are causing to the environment, the Ogoni people suffering from spills and gas flares, and the missing oil revenues. The on-going campaigning for international support has already resulted in the worldwide recognition of the problem forcing the Nigerian government and oil companies to respond to the outcry and act accordingly. The knowledge and investigative campaign methods of local environmental activists have been implemented by the journalists with good results. Nigerian journalists have also been able to benefit from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the law which demands that public records are made available to citizens on demand. This law was of interest especially to the participants of the trainings on investigative reporting, as they fully understand where the project could, or even will, be leading to: strengthening democracy. The law was amended in 2011, and journalists as well as other citizens are still in the midst of learning how it should be implemented.
5.4 Improved skills and self-confidence will remain The journalists who participated in the trainings have gained self-confidence and are more realistically able to judge their abilities. These are real changes that have taken place and will sustain. Social media platforms are also becoming more and more significant when sharing published stories and programmes, and even before that stage when the journalists are doing their research on the subject. Therefore, the trainings on the use of social media will prove most sustainable in the long run. The fact that JISE has been officially registered has provided a new platform for future operations. JISE is well networked and has key individuals aboard, but challenges remain especially with its fundraising, since neither the environmental organizations involved, nor the journalists taking part have much fundraising experience. Unfortunately the funding of this project ended before JISE was legally registered, so the timeline was most unfortunate for JISE. The project as a whole has increased and strengthened the connections between journalist organizations and environmental organizations both within Nigeria and between the Nigerian and Finnish counterparts. This can be a valuable foundation for future cooperation. 16
Finnish trainer Timo Sipola at a field visit to Itu community in Akwa Ibom State during a training on more investigative environmental reporting in 2017.
5.5 Long partnership enabled reaching good results Evidently, the training participants have been very enthusiastic and highly motivated. They have taken the project seriously with a lot of effort. This was especially emphasised by the Finnish facilitators when they were interviewed. The fact that Vikes and some of its major actors already had good connections in Nigeria and a long partnership with ERA vitally enabled this project to build up a good working environment with mutual understanding and eventually achieving the expected results. Significantly helpful for the project has been the expertise of ERA in environmental issues and also its very close link to media and journalism, many of the local supervisors being former journalists. ERA is well connected with journalists across Nigeria and has therefore been able to identify and select the most qualified participants for trainings and other project activities. Both Vikes and ERA should do their best to ensure that these connections are not lost, but rather cherished and encouraged to make use of in other future cooperation partnerships.
5.6 Gender balance must be recognized on every step The lists of participants contained almost as many women as men in Lagos, and in Port Harcourt women were the majority. The board of JISE consists of both men and women. However, throughout the last phase of the project, the trainers and mentors were mostly men, except for multimedia producer Olufunmi Ajala who was teaching the use of social media in the last training arranged in Ilorin. The fact that the evaluator is a woman is helping to make this pattern a bit more balanced. In future, in order to encourage women to occupy important posts as well as men to understand the benefits of equality, gender balance must be recognized on every step. 17
5.7 Some other remaining challenges THE FOIA AND THE MEDIA HOUSES The Freedom of Information Act, FOIA, guarantees the right to information within the control of public institutions to all Nigerians. This is generally understood by the journalists, but employers at the media houses are not always very eager to using the law, but rather stop looking for the information that could be legally available. SELF-CENSORSHIP AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION In the interviews, the journalists pointed out that they are free to write about everything and that no topic has ever been restricted, let alone censored by anyone. However, the journalists often stated that while they feel they can write about whatever topics they wish, their media will seldom publish such stories that might risk making local politicians, businessmen or other people of influence suffer from any kind of loss of power. PARTIAL LACK OF FOCUS IN ENVIRONMENTAL WORK Nigerian energy politics are problematic and with huge controversies. Nigeria has huge resources of oil and gas, yet Nigeria is still very much depending on petrol imports – the crude oil it produces is exported and refined abroad. Almost nowhere in the country, not even in the cities, is the electricity grid working properly, so private apartments and businesses use extra power sources such as diesel generators to avoid constant power cuts. Undoubtedly, this is causing more carbon emissions. Yet almost no journalist or environmental activist was paying much attention to the failure of the grid and the emissions that the atrocious energy sector is causing. Equally non-existent was the awareness of – let alone campaigning against – the emissions of the malfunctioning traffic with jams that last for hours every day.
Ugochukwu Chimeziri and Ugonma Cokey from the Nigerian environmental journalist association JISE at a planning meeting in Lagos in 2017. 18
6.0 Conclusions and recommendations ■ The key goal of the project has been to make Nigerian citizens more informed on environmental issues and more encouraged to make their voices heard and demand environmentally friendly laws from policymakers. A great part of this goal has been achieved leading to the fact that Nigerians are getting more information on environmental and political issues. The main activities of the project have been relevant. All people interviewed emphasized the fact that investigative environmental reporting and better social media skills are very important currently in Nigeria. The training courses, visits and support to JISE were wellchosen activities in order to achieve the goals. The project has also been effective in reaching its results. Most journalists involved in the project are now actively making use of social media to promote environmental reporting by sharing environmental stories, reports and other information. Participants of training courses on more investigative environmental reporting learned about tools of investigative journalism, such as interviewing methods, fact-checking, engaging government and corporations, finding and protecting sources, and taking into account potential legal issues. Participants found the courses useful and everyone believed their skills had improved. Stories produced as a result from the trainings covered various ambitious topics, from waste dumping and gas flares to the prospects of nuclear power in Nigeria. Visits to Finland were also found to be a useful method of training when preparing the ground for the Nigerian environmental journalists’ own association. The environmental journalist network JISE has now been officially registered, but challenges still remain with its fundraising. Another cause for concern is that throughout the last phase of the project, the trainers and mentors were mostly men. In future, gender balance must be recognized on every step. All in all, the journalists who participated in the trainings have gained self-confidence and are better able to judge their abilities. These are real changes that have taken place and will sustain. The project as a whole has increased and strengthened the connections between journalist organizations and environmental organizations both within Nigeria and between the Nigerian and Finnish counterparts. Vikes and ERA should do their best to ensure that these connections are not lost, but rather cherished and encouraged to make use of in other future cooperation partnerships. One such potential partnership could be a journalist training project on how to report about oil and gas related issues in Tanzania, Mozambique, Kenya and Uganda, the new oil and gas producing countries in East Africa. In this project, ERA could be the expert organization, while Vikes with its experience in East African countries would coordinate and take care of practical arrangements with local partner organizations. Another international networking project, a “Rosatom Watch”, could be established among journalists and environmental organizations in countries, such as Nigeria and Finland, where there are plans to launch nuclear power production operated by Rosatom, the Russian state-owned nuclear company seeking for areas of expansion. Journalists and environmental organizations in other countries facing the similar situation will be much interested in the Nigerian experience in nuclear campaigning. 19
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE FACTORS AFFECTING POSSIBLE FUTURE PROJECTS
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
• ERA and JISE have strong national networks with key organizations
• Nigerian media reluctant to invest in quality journalism
• Active presence in local communities, with organizational agility
• Dependency on short-term funding, with limited experience on fundraising
• Knowledgeable, experienced and committed personnel
• Nationwide operating environment is challenging since large areas practically out of reach
• ERA has very strong international networks around the world • Long history of cooperation between ERA and Vikes
• Internet problems in rural areas, and network failures often in cities too
• Local environmental journalists are highly motivated
• Superstition and strong religious beliefs have a place in Nigerian society, hard science with facts being less triumphant among the less educated majority
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
• Smartphone use, internet access, online media consumption and popularity of social media on the rise
• Unsupportive attitudes of some key media owners and employers
• Long experience working with communities affected by oil and gas production can give cross-border opportunities • Expertise in nuclear campaigns will be of interest in other countries also facing nuclear power plans • Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) facilitates public’s right to access political information
• Inadequate pay can lead journalists to disregard professional standards • Future of international development funding is uncertain • Political instability and high corruption weakens democracy and civil rights • Change in the political will • Terrorism is a threat in some areas in the northern parts of Nigeria
• Improved gender equality will encourage more women to participate
6.1 General recommendations • ERA should continue working with local communities in the Niger Delta and elsewhere where the environment is under threat. • ERA and JISE should continue educating journalists on environmental issues. • There should be more women as trainers in trainings arranged by ERA and Vikes. • JISE should be actively seeking for funding sources and assisted in its fundraising work. • Nigerian journalists trained in environmental reporting should be supported and encouraged to network with colleagues in other countries. • Vikes and ERA should be encouraged to make use of their long partnership in other future cooperation – for example with ERA acting as an expert organization.
A journalist training project on how to report about oil and gas could be introduced in East African oil and gas producing countries with ERA acting as the expert organization. 20
Environmental activist Erabanabari Kobah speaking to Nigerian and European journalists in K-Dere in Ogoniland during an EU-funded Media4Development project field visit to Nigeria in 2015.
6.2 Specific recommendations • JISE should open a website and establish more active presence on the internet. • All course materials should be accessible online after the trainings. Online questionnaires could be used to collect feedback from trainees. • A course module for learning about environmental reporting should be compiled and made accessible on the internet. • Nigerian environmental journalists should be encouraged to cooperate with anticorruption organizations monitoring governments. • Nigerian media managers should be encouraged to make more use of the Freedom of Information Act. • ERA and JISE should acquire more training on energy and electricity, emphasizing on renewable energy sources. This is especially vital now at the time when stopping the climate change requires strong and rapid measures everywhere. • A journalist training project on how to report about oil and gas and how to access information could be introduced in East African oil and gas producing countries Tanzania, Mozambique, Kenya and Uganda. ERA could be the expert organization, while Vikes would coordinate and take care of practical arrangements with local partner organizations. • An international networking project, a “Rosatom Watch”, could be established among journalists and environmental organizations in countries, such as Nigeria and Finland, where there are plans to launch nuclear power production operated by Rosatom, the Russian state-owned nuclear company seeking for areas of expansion. 21
Appendices Appendix I: Literature KEY PROJECT DOCUMENTS Project application to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs 2015–2017 (updated version from 03-02-2015) Project document for 2015–2017 (updated version from 03-02-2015) Logical framework 2015–2017 Annual report 2015 and attachments Annual report 2016 and attachments Annual report 2017 and attachments Narrative report from training on investigative environmental reporting in Uyo, March 2017 Narrative report from multimedia and social media training in Ilorin, November 2017 Follow-up questionnaire with the participants from the multimedia and social media trainings in Port Harcourt, Lagos, Enugu and Calabar in 2015 and 2016 Now we have the self-esteem and courage to report, Vikes self-evaluation report from the previous project phase 2009–2011 More and better stories, and reporters getting organized, Vikes self-evaluation report from the previous project phase 2012–2014
ARTICLES BY PARTICIPANTS OF TRAININGS ON MORE INVESTIGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING Abuja training (2015): Adamu Abuh: Many meanings of Mararaba’s refuse dump site. The Guardian 27.3.2016. Bridget Chiedu Onochie: Maje: The untold story of an urban slum. Nigerian Current 8.8.2016. Warri training (2016): Omafume Amurun: Whither Niger Delta’s waters of life? Delta News Room 27.11.2016. Betty Idialu: Nigeria’s tricycles of trauma. The Nigerian Observer 1.12.2016. Emmanuel Ogoigbe: Industrial waste pollution from Delta steel company Aladja. Delta News Room 2.12.2016. Elo Edremoda: Delta’s commonwealth of death. Community cries for help over oil, gas flare pollutions. Nigerian Current 25.1.2017. Okpomor Viktor (Okies Veeky): Effects of sand dredging in Niger Delta. National Reformer 24.2.2017. Uyo training (2017): Tina Todo: Mixed reactions greet proposed nuclear power plant in Akwa Ibom. EnviroNews Nigeria 6.3.2017. Idongesit Ashameri: Akwa Ibom communities urge FG to revice NNMC instead of establishing nuclear plant. Independent 2.10.2017. Idongesit Ashameri: Nuclear plant is FG plot to wipe out Itu people – lawmaker. Ibom Telegraph 1.12.2017. Isaiah Eka: Akwa Ibom community rejects establishment of nuclear plant. Straight News 29.1.2018. Ben Ezeamalu: Special report: Amidst safety concerns, Nigeria signs nuclear power project with Russia’s Rosatom. Premium Times 6.1.2018. 22
Appendix II: List of interviewees Betty Abah Lara Adejoro Abdulmumini Adeku Abiose Adelaja Tunde Akanni Dotun Akintomide Celestine Akpobari Rotimi Arowa Joseph Chibueze Ugochukwu Chimeziri Ugonma Cokey Kentebe Ebiaridor Ben Ezeamalu Chimelie Ezeobi Blessing Ibunge Philip Jakpor Peik Johansson Erabanabari Kobah Teemu Matinpuro Hanna Nikkanen Lilian Nkemkanma-Worluh Tope Oluwaleye Alice Onukwugha Anayo Onukwugha Saint Emma Pii Timo Sipola Karl C. Uchegbu Ike Wigodo
Cee-Hope Nigeria Metro Daily Paedia Express Freelance journalist Lagos State University, trainer New Diplomat Ogoni Solidarity Forum Trainer of social media Financial Trust, The Authority JISE JISE, Voice of Nigeria ERA JISE, Premium Times Thisday The Authority ERA Vikes Citizens’ Resources Services Finnish Peace Committee Freelance journalist, trainer Independent Monitor Trainer in investigative reporting Nigerian Pilot Leadership High Chief Finnish Broadcasting Company, trainer The Beacon The Tide
In addition to the above mentioned, the evaluator also discussed about issues related to the project with participants of a seminar on environment and nuclear power arranged in Lagos on November 27, 2017 and attended by 40 representatives from media and NGO’s.
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Viestintä ja kehitys -säätiö Finnish Foundation for Media and Development PL 252, 00531 Helsinki, Finland www.vikes.fi