On Thursday, January 30, 2025, over 30 journalists, community leaders, advocates, and storytellers converged on Yenagoa in Bayelsa State at the instance of the Benin City-based Connected Advocacy for a forum themed: “Media-Community Dialogue on Renewable Energy Democracy”.
The daylong gathering addressed the transition to renewable energy and how local media can play a crucial role in advocating for a just transition in Nigeria’s extractive sector reforms.
The event provided a space for local journalists to not only enhance their capacity to report on energy reforms but also to engage with community leaders and policymakers to ensure that vulnerable communities impacted by oil, gas and coal extraction, are included in the ongoing transition to renewable energy.
After a brief networking session, the event officially commenced with an opening address by Executive Director of Connected Advocacy and event Convener, Prince Israel Orekha, who welcomed participants and shared the central vision of the event: to empower journalists and advocates to become champions of a just energy transition through compelling storytelling and data-driven journalism.
He emphasised the significance of local media in the transition, noting that journalists have a responsibility not only to report on issues but to advocate for change that aligns with the needs of vulnerable communities.
The Convener underscored the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing between media professionals and community leaders, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that Nigeria’s energy transition is inclusive and equitable for all, particularly the communities directly impacted by fossil fuel extraction.
Mr Tonye Yemoleigha, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Bayelsa Chapter, highlighted the need for storytelling that will help drive sustainable renewable energy implementation at the community level, looking at the importance of nature-based solutions, green skills, and green jobs together with the economic benefits that it will bring.
He shared lessons from the good, old days when the ecosystem produced all that was needed. He encouraged journalists to take up the task to develop stories that will shed light on renewable energy as a just transition that will ensure environmental sustainability and improve livelihoods of impacted communities.
Grace M. Orunieyefa, Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, Bayelsa Chapter, gave a background on the imperatives of media engagement with the community as regards contextualisation of report from the ground, connecting the stories with realities given renewable energy access as just transition, as the only opportunity that will drive economic development at the community level.
The keynote session, led by Godson Jim-Dorgu, provided a deep dive into the intersection of storytelling and data-driven journalism. In his presentation on “The Imperative of Storytelling and Data-Driven Journalism in Advocating for a Just Transition to Renewable Energy in the Niger Delta: Bridging Narratives and Data for Sustainable Change”, Jim-Dorgu made a compelling case for the power of stories in driving social change.
He highlighted the importance of using data alongside personal stories to create a holistic narrative that resonates with both the human experiences of affected communities and the facts that support the need for renewable energy solutions. He stressed that journalists should leverage data to back up the stories shared by communities, creating a powerful combination that can shape public opinion and policy decisions.
Jim-Dorgu also discussed the concept of energy democracy – ensuring that all communities, especially those impacted by oil extraction, have a voice in the energy transition process. Through data-driven journalism, he encouraged journalists to advocate for inclusive energy reforms that would not only address environmental degradation but also improve social and economic conditions in affected regions.