By our Correspondents
As the Niger State government put finishing touches to arrangements to host the first ever Summit in Sub-Saharan Africa on Developing a Green Economy and Priorotising threats of Climate Change to the Global socio-economic development, Gov. Mohammed Umar Bago has enjoined stakeholders, especially journalists to play key role in driving the project to the core consciousness of the global society.
Gov. Bago made the call in Minna, the Niger State capital while declaring open a 3-day Retreat for journalists covering activities at the House of Representatives.
Represented by his Deputy, Bago further tasked the media in ensuring that the advocacy on stifling the adverse effects of climate change is properly documented and transmitted to local, national and the international audience.
He alerted the nation that apart from threats to life, property and the general well-being of the people, the development contributes to the heightenig of food and general Insecurity through encroachment and devastation on arable land and constituting health hazards on the vast rural farmers that feeds the nation.
According to the Niger State Chief Executive, persons displaced from farming activities within and outside the states are most likely to resort to illegal activities thereby heightening general insecurity especially in the northern states.
Bago was of the opinion that for the essence of the international conference billed to open on Tuesday 24th October in Minna be realised, the media and its practitioners must be fully involved in informing the world of discussions and resolutions of discussions and resolutions emanating from there.
“We as organisers and drivers of this project are aware of limitations facing the local media in terms of know-how and equipment required for this task, but we are relying on your skills and zeal in making the publicity aspect of the project a huge success, thus underscoring the imperatives of training of journalists”, he said.
On her part, Chairman, House of Representatives Press Corps, Ms Grace Ike stressed the need for journalists to understand the subject matter of coverage and apply same in producing factual and unbiased news items for public consumption.
She agreed that more concentration need be given to new phenomenon such as Climate Change by the media, considering its global attention by the global community, coupled with its potential to adversely affect the global economy.
The 3-day Retreat has as Theme; “The Role of the Media in Mainstreaming Climate Change Policies and featured discussion on topics such as ‘The Media, Parliament and Climate Change’ delivered by Hon. Sam Onuigbo, ‘Effective Reporting of the Green Economy; Prospects and Challenges’, and ‘Reporting the Parliament in s Digital Era’.
,’
