The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) on Friday concluded a training workshop for Niger Delta oil communities on environmental monitoring.

HOMEF is an ecological think-tank and environmental rights advocacy group.

The capacity building programme drew participants across the Niger Delta region from Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta states.

Mr Stanley Egholo, Fossil Politics Lead at HOMEF noted that the challenges posed by oil pollution and climate change have made environmental monitoring imminent.

He regretted 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 gather empirical evidence whenever there is oil pollution.

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 took through the rudiments of Understanding Environmental Monitoring – Air, Water and Land.

According to him, recent technological advancements have made so many digital tools available for monitoring the environment.

He explored the immense 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 assured participants that evidences obtained by digital tools are 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 encouraged participants to work with residents of pollution impacted communities and avoid taking sides in community conflicts.

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