MEDIA Rights Agenda (MRA) has called on federal and state governments to strengthen citizens’ access to environmental information, warning that Nigeria’s weak response to climate and ecological challenges was costing lives, livelihoods and billions of naira in damages.
The appeal came on Monday, September 29, as the Lagos-based watchdog launched a report, ‘Access to Environmental Information and the Cost of Ignorance in Nigeria,’ to mark this year’s International Day for Universal Access to Information.
The report, according to a statement by the organisation communication officer, Idowu Adewale, detailed the mounting toll of deforestation, flooding, desertification, oil pollution, plastic waste and worsening air and water quality, describing them as threats to ecosystems, public health and national stability.
The statement noted that the country already had constitutional guarantees, statutory provisions and international commitments that could support transparency and accountability, adding that public institutions had, however, remained reluctant to disclose data.
The MRA’s Programme Officer, Ayomide Eweje, was quoted as saying, “Critical to a national response framework is the right of citizens to access timely and reliable environmental information, without which their effective participation in environmental governance and the protection of their rights will not be possible. However, ensuring access to environmental information is not just about compliance with the law alone; it is also about empowering people to protect their health, livelihoods, and environment; hold duty bearers accountable; and build a future where development does not come at the expense of sustainability,” she added.
The group also highlighted key threats, including deforestation, desertification, recurrent flooding, oil pollution in the Niger Delta, rising plastic waste, and worsening air and water quality.
It argued that public access to data on these issues was “not a luxury but a necessity” for protecting health, livelihoods and national stability.
Although Nigeria has constitutional guarantees and laws such as the Freedom of Information Act, the Climate Change Act and the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, MRA said government agencies rarely released information proactively and often ignored requests.
The group also criticised the exclusion of rural communities and women from decision-making, and urged authorities to invest in broadband expansion, solar-powered digital hubs and community ICT centres to bridge the rural digital divide.
“The cost of environmental devastation in Nigeria is already staggering, running into billions of dollars annually in destruction of public and private property, facilities and infrastructure; the displacement of millions of citizens; and the loss of thousands of lives. Without meaningful and effective access to environmental information, citizens cannot protect their health and livelihoods, or hold decision-makers accountable. This report underscores the urgency of transparency and public participation in environmental governance,” Eweje added.
She, however, urged the federal and state governments to guarantee citizens easy access to environmental information, stressing that data availability and transparency were essential for public accountability in the digital era.
To achieve this, she said authorities should strengthen and enforce laws requiring proactive disclosure of environmental data in clear, user-friendly digital formats, and establish centralised open-access portals with regular updates on pollution levels, deforestation rates, water quality and climate risks.
MRA also called for investment in broadband expansion, solar-powered community ICT hubs, and digital training to bridge the rural connectivity gap.
It appealed to civil society groups, journalists, researchers, and technology companies to monitor and report environmental hazards and ensure that available data is accessible, comprehensible and actionable.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M