By | Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja
The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) and the Environmental Media Correspondents Association of Nigeria (EMCAN) have resolved to strengthen collaboration on water resources management, flood forecasting, early warning systems and public enlightenment on environmental issues affecting Nigerians.
The Director-General of NIHSA, Architect Umar Muhammed, made this known in Abuja when the newly elected Executive Council of EMCAN, led by its Chairman, Joycelyn Ellekeche Adah, paid a courtesy visit to the management of the agency.
Muhammed stressed the importance of stronger collaboration between NIHSA and the media, describing journalists as critical partners in disseminating timely and accurate information, particularly to vulnerable communities exposed to flooding and other water-related risks.
He said effective management of water resources was essential to preventing water scarcity, contamination and outbreaks of water-related diseases.
“If you do not have a good environment and manage water resources, one day you wake up and you’d be shocked with what you see. Either you totally run out of water or you have no clean water,” he said.
The NIHSA boss also warned against poor environmental management and contamination of water sources, noting that human activities contribute significantly to the pollution of streams and other water bodies, with serious consequences for public health.
Muhammed said the agency needed organisations such as EMCAN to interface with the public and ensure that quality information on water resources and early warning systems reached those who needed it.
“We will need an organisation like yours to interface with the public and disseminate quality information for public use,” he said.
The EMCAN delegation also used the visit to formally inform NIHSA management of its plans to cover the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31), scheduled to take place in Türkiye.
The EMCAN Chairman appealed to NIHSA to support the association’s participation in the global climate conference, particularly through sponsorship for two or three members being considered to represent the association.
Adah said EMCAN had commenced efforts to raise funds for the participation of its members but was also seeking support from relevant government agencies and environmental organisations.
Responding, the NIHSA Director-General said the agency was also preparing to participate in COP31 and was exploring collaboration with international development partners, national agencies and other stakeholders.
He explained that NIHSA, as a Federal Government agency, operates within a statutory funding framework and therefore could not give a definite commitment on sponsorship at the moment.
However, Muhammed said the agency was already working with international development partners and would explore opportunities that could accommodate additional participation.
“If we are able to secure quite a number of slots, why not? Definitely, it’s something that we could consider,” he said.
The Special Assistant on Media to the Director-General, Mr Yakub Aliyu, also called for closer collaboration with environmental journalists, particularly in the areas of publicity and capacity building.
Aliyu said NIHSA required greater visibility to enable Nigerians to understand its mandate and appreciate the importance of hydrological information in preventing disasters.
He noted that Nigeria faces both water scarcity and excess water challenges, including flooding, while contamination of water sources remains a major concern.
According to him, contamination of streams and other water bodies through human activities could increase the risk of diseases and other public health challenges.
He expressed the agency’s interest in partnering with EMCAN on specialised training programmes to equip journalists with the technical knowledge required to accurately report hydrological and environmental issues.
The EMCAN delegation explained that many of its members cover the environment beat and regularly report issues relating to water, climate change, flooding and environmental protection.
The EMCAN Chairman said one of the major concerns of environmental journalists was the lack of regular specialised training for reporters covering technical sectors.
She stressed that journalists covering government agencies needed to understand their specific mandates, operations and technical terminologies to enable them to report accurately.
Adah said the new EMCAN leadership had therefore made capacity building a priority as part of efforts to improve the quality of environmental journalism in Nigeria.
Also speaking, the Technical Adviser to the Director-General of NIHSA, Mr Stephen Jabo, called for stronger collaboration between the agency and the media to improve public awareness of its activities, particularly the Annual Flood Outlook.
Jabo said NIHSA’s work on water and land management directly affects Nigerians but remains largely unknown to the public because
