The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has warned that Nigeria is incurring massive human and economic losses due to weak responses to environmental and climate challenges and called for stronger access-to-information frameworks to address the crisis.
The MRA made the call on Monday in Lagos during the launch of its latest report, “Access to Environmental Information and the Cost of Ignorance in Nigeria.” The event coincided with the commemoration of the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI).
MRA said environmental problems such as deforestation, flooding, desertification, oil pollution in the Niger Delta, plastic waste, and worsening air and water quality are undermining ecosystems, public health, livelihoods, and national stability.
“The cost of environmental devastation in Nigeria is already staggering, running into billions of dollars annually in destruction of public and private property, displacement of millions of citizens, and the loss of thousands of lives,” said MRA Programme Officer, Ayomide Eweje.
She argued that without timely and reliable access to environmental information, citizens cannot protect their health and livelihoods or hold decision-makers accountable.
Although Nigeria has constitutional guarantees, statutory provisions, regulatory instruments, and international obligations that could strengthen transparency and accountability, MRA said public institutions and officials often show reluctance to disclose information. Citizens also face challenges in demanding and using such data.
The report reviewed existing laws such as the Freedom of Information Act, Climate Change Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Act, and regulations under the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA). It also situated Nigeria’s commitments within international frameworks, including the Paris Agreement and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
According to the organisation, digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, could improve environmental monitoring, early warning systems, and public access to real-time data. But weak enforcement of laws, limited proactive disclosure, and the exclusion of rural communities and women from decision-making undermine progress.
MRA urged the federal and state governments to strengthen proactive disclosure of environmental information in user-friendly digital formats, establish open-access data portals, and expand broadband and ICT infrastructure in rural areas.
It also called on civil society and the media to play a stronger role in monitoring and reporting environmental hazards, while collaborating with research institutions, the private sector, and technology companies to make environmental information accessible and actionable.
