By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.
Environmental Expert, Dr Alim Abubakre has called on Media professionals to play proactive and strategic advisory roles in reporting Environmental Sustainability issues and policy implementation in Nigeria.
Abubakre, a British-Nigerian Senior Lecturer in International Business at Sheffield Business School, United Kingdom, made the call while delivering a paper on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Reporting during a Two-day Environmental Workshop at Obajana Cement plant in Kogi.
The workshop themed: “Reporting the Environment for Sustainability” was organised by Dangote Academy in Partnership with Climate Africa Media Initiative and Centre (CAMIC) for Media professionals drawn from the North-Central geo-political zone.
He said that sustainability was being challenged by quite a number of phenomena including pandemics and other diseases, climate change and International Business environmental footprints.
Abubakre, a member of the advisory board for London Business School, Africa club, said the Media had a role to play to encourage companies and organisations to strike a balance between Profit, the People and the environment Planet.
“We are living in a digital age where there are lots of artificial intelligent, virtual reality and big data tools that we can use responsibly to address climate change issues”, he said. issues.
He urged that businesses, formal and informal sectors as well as governments and the people should be committed to core values of sustainability and focus on the three Ps (Profit, People and Planet).
Abubakre explained that the three Ps were interdependent as every profit driven initiative requires the Natural Environment (Planet) and humans (People) to operate without compromising chances of future generations.
“These are all connected because when a company makes profits, they can pay their employees a fair wage and sensitize their employees on energy usage and as well, influence the employees to actually act in a way that is socially responsible”.
He said that the essence of sustainability lay in ensuring that divers societal stakeholders deliver on their environmental and social obligations by ensuring that their present actions do not compromise resources for the future generations.
Abubakre implored firms and big organisations to be at the forefront of implementing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) posture on Sustainability by accessing their efforts at reducing their carbon footprints through collaboration with the Media.
“Globally, the Media are doing fantastic work around sustainability awareness but they can also shore up their capabilities by actually ensuring that they have holistic understanding of sustainability.
Abubakre described the Media as critical stakeholders in the sustainability debate and urged that sustainability journalists should be strategic, proactive and positive in their approach.
“The Media need to serve as advocates for stakeholders in policy development. Basically, they need to actually serve as advocates when they are engaging with the regulators”, Abubakre said.
This way, he said, “The Media actually helps the companies operating in Nigeria to actually be more deliberate in their choices, actions and positioning around sustainability.” (Ends)