Newsletter - Media Awareness and Justice Initiative (June 2020) - Okoro onyekachi E

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JUNE 2020 NEWSLETTER Issue 202006 Media Awareness and Justice Initiative June 2020 Newsletter “Extractive and mining activities continue to impact the lives and livelihoods of people living in rural communities across Nigeria and Africa” – Kentebe Ebiaridor IN THIS ISSUE Engaging to Develop inclusive The Coal Impact – Ankpa Local and Sustainable Strategies Government Area, Kogi State, Nigeria In June 2020, with the support of Global Greengrants Funds (GGF), the Media Ankpa Local Government Area (LGA), Awareness and Justice Initiative (MAJI) Kogi State, Nigeria, is part of a host of carried out interactive visits to five (5) extractive local government areas in impacted mining communities Nigeria suffering from the “Resource (Odagbo, Okaba, Onupi, Okobo and Curse”. People living in the rural Ofano) located in Ankpa Local communities covered by this local government area. Kogi state, Nigeria government area continue to suffer huge environmental, livelihood and p health impacts of industrial and artisanal coal mining activities. These mining activities have resulted in Series of reports and findings from this polluted air, erosion, water poisoning due to local government area show that three discharge of toxic waste into water sources, (3) active coal mining companies environmental degradation and increased namely DANGOTE, ITA ZUMA 828 loss of livelihood – Okaba District head, Coal Limited, and KOYLA, NORDIC, Kogi State, Nigeria. continue to practice coal mining in a way that totally disregards communal MAJI initiated an interactive discussion health, environmental sustainability and session that engaged community community livelihood. leaders, civil society representatives and MAJI has also identified that these youth groups from the 5 mining companies do not adhere to communities in Ankpa local Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) government area to discuss key documents, hence undermining the challenges facing their communities overall impacts of coal extractions on and identify necessary steps to stop the the environment, lives and livelihood of indiscriminate pollution of community the communities within the LGA. environment and livelihoods. JUNE 2020 NEWSLETTER | Issue 202006 2 World Environment Day 2020 – June 5th, 2020 MAJI MEDIA ENGAGEMENTS “Time for Nature” The Media Awareness and Justice Initiative continues to explore innovative th On June 5 2020, The Media Awareness ways to seek for environmental justice . and Justice Initiative (MAJI) released a and ensure that companies and press briefing in commemoration of The government regulators adhere to World Environment Day 2020, with the environmental policies. To engage a theme “Time for Nature”. wide spectrum of people, MAJI also develops short form audiovisual content The briefing looked to add MAJI’s call to for online and offline campaigns, the voice of numerous stakeholders, awareness and sensitization programs. groups and civil society organizations across the world to start evolving key In continuation of our awareness and strategies to ensure that the sensitization drive, the Media Media Engagement – Radio development of key infrastructures for Awareness and Justice Initiative (MAJI) We carried out interactive radio the sustainability of the Earth and have continued to use social and mass discussions on radio stations with a human development are achieved. media platforms such as Facebook, broadcast spread across Rivers, Bayelsa and Twitter, Radio and Television stations Cross-Rivers states in Nigeria Via this press release, the Media to engage with citizens and key Awareness and Justice Initiative called stakeholders. on government, companies and people living in extractive rural and urban Via our Radio and Television interactive communities to ensure increased talk shows and we have covered three interactions, collaborations and the (3) core states (Rivers, Bayelsa, and adoption of best practices which will be Cross River) of the Niger Delta region of the platform on which key strategies for Nigeria, with a listening spread of over the sustainability of the Earth can be 500, 000 people. The radio and built. To this end, MAJI called on all television talk shows are aired in English stakeholders to and locally spoken “Pidgin English” languages. 1. Ensure that crude oil spills and mining activities that continue to The Media Awareness and Justice destroy our environment must be Media Engagement – Television Initiative will continue to engage with stopped. impacted communities to discuss the MAJI leveraged on the platform of National 2. Government regulatory agencies present contexts of coal mining and Television Authority (NTA) to discuss should increase its interactive crude oil extraction. This will be key in prevailing environmental challenges, and its component, and ensure that strengthen the campaign to Stop Dirty impacts, pre and post the Covid-19 Pandemic companies are made to abide by Energy set out environmental guidelines and policies. This would be the bedrock for the sustainability of our Environment. 3. Traditional rulers and community leaders have to ensure that artisanal mining and refining activities within their respective communities are stopped. 4. At best, CRUDE OIL EXPLORATION AND COAL MINING be abolished and other methods of green energy generation be adopted Twitter: - @MediaMaji; Facebook: Media Awareness and Justice Initiative Physical Address – No 11 Eastern Bypass Ogbunabali Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria Website – www.mediaforjusticenigeria.org; Email: - [email protected] Video sharing site – https://vimeo.com/channels/mediaforjustice