The United States of America has promised to work closely with the Federal Government of Nigeria in order to reduce gas flaring and its impact in the country.
The US Consular General to Nigeria, Will Stevens, who spoke in Port Harcourt at a one-day Panelist Interactive Session for Newsroom and Investigative Journalism and unveiling of DataCab Mobile Application organised by Media Awareness and Justice Initiative, MAJI in Collaboration with the American Corner, University of Port Angeles.
Stevens noted that climate change has remained a source concern to all nations, adding that it forms the main stay of the President of the United States of America, Joe Bidens leadership.
The Consula General said the America government would work with the Nigeria government to reduce the menace of gas flaring and climate change.
He said: “Climate Change is one of the key pillars of President Joe Bidens administration. He had the first ever special presidential envoy for climate change, Sean Kerry. We invested our commitment to the COP 28, 29 climate agreement.
“We are working hard with Nigeria to ensure that Nigeria continues to make the amazing commitments that they’ve made to combat climate change to reduce flaring and natural gas, to clean up the oil spills that are happening.
“Right here in Port Harcourt we worked together with NOSDRA on oil spills in Eleme, we have scientists from the EPA to work together to share expertise. It is about partnership. Climate change is a global problem that impacts every citizen in the world, so we need to work together to fight it.”
The Executive Coordinator, MAJI, Onyekachi Okoro, noted that the essence of the workshop on citizens science was to gives journalists access to source of valid information and data in their reportage, as well as build their capacity to carryon the task of news gathering and reporting at ease.
He said: “Building their capacities, we would be able to tell stories, reports using data in qualitative and quantitative forms. We are also building capacities to be able to engage in data use, we understand that data can only be used if it’s well aggregated, well analysed, and visualized and that will help also to create more in-depth reporting for newsrooms.
“So we have created a tool, a mobile app that is accessible via iOS and Android devices, that tool will enable journalists to be able to tell stories around environmental incidents in the Niger Delta, they can also tell stories about air quality in the Niger Delta.”
