EMCAN Expands Coverage to Water Resources, Partners NIHSA on Flood Reporting

By Joycelyn Ellakeche Adah

The Environmental Media Correspondents Association of Nigeria (EMCAN) has begun expanding its coverage beyond the traditional environmental beat to include critical sectors such as water resources, as part of efforts to provide a broader and more specialised coverage of issues affecting Nigerians.

The new direction became evident when the Executive Committee of EMCAN, led by its Chairman, Joycelyn Ellakeche Adah, paid a courtesy visit to the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) in Abuja, opening discussions on collaboration in flood forecasting, early warning systems, water resources management and specialised training for journalists.

NIHSA, which operates under the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, is responsible for providing hydrological information, including flood forecasting and related data critical to the management of Nigeria’s water resources.

The engagement marked one of the first major steps by the new EMCAN leadership to strengthen the association’s relationship with institutions outside the immediate environmental ministry structure, while widening the scope of issues covered by its members.

Adah, who is also the Digital Content Editor of PerSecondNews, said EMCAN’s decision to engage NIHSA was informed by the direct impact of water related issues on the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians.

“As environmental journalists, we have been following and reporting the activities of NIHSA, but we want to do more,” Adah said.

She said issues such as flooding, water resources management and early warning systems could no longer be treated in isolation from environmental reporting, given their implications for communities across the country.

The EMCAN chairman said the association was interested in building stronger relationships with institutions whose activities have direct consequences for the public, while equipping journalists with the technical knowledge required to report such issues accurately.

She said capacity building would be a major focus of the new EMCAN leadership, particularly because journalists covering specialised sectors need to understand the mandates, operations and technical language of the institutions they report.

“We believe that when our members understand the work first hand, they are better positioned to tell the NIHSA story accurately and effectively.”

The Director General of NIHSA, Architect Umar Muhammed, welcomed the proposed collaboration, saying the media had an important role to play in ensuring that hydrological information reached Nigerians, particularly communities vulnerable to flooding and other water related risks.

Muhammed said effective management of water resources was critical to preventing water scarcity, contamination and related public health problems.

He also warned that poor environmental practices and human activities that contaminate streams and other water bodies could have serious consequences for communities.

“We will need an organisation like yours to interface with the public and disseminate quality information for public use.”

The Special Assistant on Media to the DG, Yakub Aliyu, called for closer cooperation with EMCAN, particularly in publicity and professional training.

Aliyu said Nigerians needed better understanding of NIHSA’s mandate and the importance of hydrological information in preventing disasters, noting that the country faced both water scarcity and excess water, including flooding.

He expressed the agency’s interest in specialised training programmes that would enable journalists to better understand and report hydrological issues.

NIHSA’s Technical Adviser Stephen Jabo, also urged journalists to work closely with the agency’s press unit and participate in its programmes, particularly those relating to the Annual Flood Outlook.

Jabo said the agency’s work on water and land management directly affected Nigerians but was not sufficiently known to the public, adding that effective media coverage could improve public understanding of flooding and other water related challenges.

The EMCAN delegation also sought NIHSA’s support for the association’s planned coverage of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31), scheduled to hold in Türkiye.

Adah appealed for support for the participation of two to three EMCAN members, explaining that the association had commenced efforts to raise funds for the coverage but was also approaching relevant government institutions and organisations for assistance.

Muhammed said NIHSA was preparing for COP31 and exploring partnerships with international development organisations, government agencies and other stakeholders.

He said the agency operated within a statutory funding framework and could not make an immediate commitment to sponsor the journalists, but indicated that the possibility could be explored if additional participation slots became available.

“If we are able to secure quite a number of slots, why not? Definitely, it’s something that we could consider,”

The visit is part of EMCAN’s broader engagement with relevant institutions under its new leadership, with the association seeking to broaden the areas covered by its members and strengthen journalists’ understanding of specialised sectors.

The association said the expanded coverage would enable its members to report more extensively on issues including water resources, flooding, climate change, environmental protection and other areas that affect the wellbeing and safety of Nigerians.