By Amgbare Ekaunkumo, Yenagoa
Community leaders, media practitioners, and representatives of government agencies in Bayelsa State have validated a new environmental data portal aimed at documenting pollution and strengthening accountability for gas flaring and emissions in the Niger Delta.
The stakeholders’ validation meeting, held in Yenagoa and organized by the Port Harcourt–based Media Awareness and Justice Initiative (MAJI), focused on improving the functionality and usability of the digital platform known as “Data Camp.”
Speaking to journalists, Ikechukwu Ahaka, MAJI’s Project Officer for Environment and Consultation—representing the Executive Director, Okoro Onyedikachi—stressed that systematic data gathering is essential for evidence-based advocacy and policy influence.
“Data collection is sacrosanct. It enables stakeholders to engage with government agencies and policymakers to formulate regulations that address critical environmental challenges across impacted communities,” he said.
According to Ahaka, the portal is designed to aggregate real-time environmental information, including air quality, particulate matter levels, and other pollutants in communities affected by industrial operations. He noted that the Niger Delta continues to record some of the highest pollution levels in Nigeria, with Bayelsa and Delta states particularly impacted.
He linked the situation to chronic health issues resulting from prolonged exposure to gas flares and toxic emissions.
“Nigeria is one of the countries with the dirtiest air quality in the world,” he said. “Companies profit from flaring gas and have repeatedly delayed ending the practice despite having the capacity to do so. This must stop.”
Participants at the meeting, including community representatives and environmental officers, reviewed the portal’s features and suggested improvements such as multilingual support, simplified submission tools, and mechanisms for user feedback.
Organizers explained that incorporating community input was critical to ensuring the platform is accessible and effective for grassroots environmental monitoring.
Ahaka expressed confidence that the updated portal will enhance advocacy across the Niger Delta, adding that data generated will inform engagements with stakeholders at the local, state, and national levels.
“We will take all contributions made today and put them to work,” he assured attendees.
Going forward, MAJI plans a wider rollout of the Data Camp portal and encouraged oil companies to cooperate in efforts to address environmental pollution. The organization believes the platform will transform community observations into powerful evidence for environmental justice campaigns in the region.
