The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) on Friday in Yenagoa, concluded an environmental monitoring training workshop for Niger Delta oil communities.
HOMEF is an ecological think-tank and environmental rights advocacy group.
It was reported that the capacity building programme drew participants across the Niger Delta region from Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta.
Mr Stanley Egholo, Fossil Politics Lead at HOMEF, said that the challenges posed by oil pollution and climate change have made environmental monitoring imminent.
Egholo noted that oil bearing communities often lose cases instituted to seek environmental justice due to lack of credible scientific evidence.
He urged the participants to take interest in defending their environments and gathering empirical evidence whenever there was oil pollution.
Similarly, Mr Onyekachi Okoro, Executive Director, Media Awareness and Justice Initiative, who served as a resource person said that empirical data reinforces and strengthens advocacy for environmental justice.
Okoro speaking on the topic “Understanding Environmental Monitoring: Air, Water and Land”, noted that recent technological advancements have made so many digital tools available for monitoring the environment.
He stressed the potentials of smartphones and how they could be deployed in monitoring the environment.
He urged the participants to leverage on the location and geotagging features in mobile phones to geotag photographs.
He explained that evidence obtained by digital tools were credible and universally acceptable for litigation and advocacy.
Speaking at the panel segment, Chief Lagos Morris, a renowned environmentalist highlighted the challenges to environmental monitoring and gave tips on how to overcome them.
He urged participants to refrain from exaggerating pollution incidents, as credible facts were sacrosanct in environmental activism and would always survive validity tests.
Morris also encouraged participants to work with residents of pollution impacted communities and avoid taking sides in community conflicts.