Environment and development in coastal regions and in small islands

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INFORMATION, EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF NIGERIA’S OIL-PRODUCING AREAS
Gina Daka-Osika, ‘Voice of Nigeria’, Nigeria

INTRODUCTION

Sustainable development is a long-term development, realistic in implementation and formulation to bring about positive and long lasting impact on the populace for which it is intended. In this paper, the discourse will be on how to attain a sustainable development in oil-producing areas of Nigeria using information, education and communication (IEC) strategies.

The IEC strategy is the effective use of education and communication designed to achieve specific goals established in advance. Only a few countries have explicit national IEC strategies. Such good examples show the direction and what I call the road map to the future.

Major problems associated with coastal regions in Africa:

• flooding and coastal erosion caused by deforestation, poor engineering construction, sea encroachment, dredging, etc.;
• sedimentation and siltation, related to the narrowing of creeks, reduction in creek depth, increase in intertidal zones, farming and dam construction;
• degradation and depletion of water and coastal resources related to industrial effluents, oil pollution, salt intrusion, industrial waste and invasion of aquatic weeds;
• health problems, related to gaseous emissions from a variety of sources and poor management of hazardous wastes;
• biodiversity depletion, as a result of population pressure, urbanization and over population;
• land subsidence, in connection with geological changes, oil exploration and other mining activities;
• noise pollution and light problems posed by seismic operations;
• lack of, or weak, community participation traceable to general ignorance, illiteracy and poor capacity to implement programmes;
• socio-economic problems related to joblessness, poverty, loss of farmland, inappropriate compensation measures, poor housing, infra-structural/amenity base and human settlement difficulties, lack of sustained commitment to rural implementation, co-ordination and resource assessment; and
• weak or non-existent laws and regulations relating to weakness and biases in political and legal frameworks which govern economic and environmental policies and actions, including failures in regulating and enforcement capabilities and the list continues.

As stated earlier, this paper is all about sustainable management of coastal regions using IEC strategies. We will therefore put into operation these two words ‘management’ and ‘communication’ as they are vital to this discussion. Management can be defined as a process of getting things done by making efficient use of people and resources. The Collins English Dictionary defines it in one breath as ‘administration, skillful use of means’. It is important to note that the key to successful management is people. This same dictionary also defines communication as ‘passage or means of exchanging messages between places’, however for the purpose of this discussion, we will be viewing communication here as synonymous with information, education, and communication to include inter-personal communication, community mobilization and the mass media. This paper also discusses methods of sustained coastal management since what to do does not seem to be the problem but how to do it is. Therefore I would say that this is a ‘How to’ paper.

This workshop talks about coastal regions but the topic of this paper is oil-producing areas. This is so because some coastal regions in Nigeria are also oil-producing areas, specifically the Niger Delta, in the central part of southern Nigeria. The Niger Delta is Africa’s largest delta, covering about 70,000 km² with a population of about 7 million. The area consists of a number of distinct ecological zones which are characteristic of a large river delta in a tropical region: a coastal ridge (barriers), mangroves (the Niger Delta is the third largest mangrove forest in the world), fresh water swamp, forest and low land, rain forests, etc.

NEED TO ACT

The oil-producing area of Nigeria, the Niger Delta, is the largest producer of oil in Africa and among the world’s top ten; it produces over 90% of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings. The more than 7 million people living in the region bear the brunt of the environmental impact of oil production and pollution from other human activities which include fishing, agriculture, forest resource exploitation and demographic change. Concerns have been growing in this region both nationally and internationally.

In spite of the Delta’s resource endowment, the region is in a parlous state: constantly under threat from deteriorating economic conditions and social tensions which are not really being addressed by current policies and behaviour patterns. A recent World Bank study raised the alarm on the urgent need to implement mechanisms to protect the lives and health of the region’s inhabitants, and its ecological systems, from further damage.

Even without a note of warning from the World Bank, there is no doubt that considerable change is occurring in the Niger Delta, both naturally and as a result of coastal zone modifications, upstream dam construction, oil production and urban growth. In recent times, public perception of environmental matters has clouded some very important issues concerning the impact of these factors on the ecology and peoples of the coastal region. Events in the region have also created an urgent need to formulate strategies that will reconcile industry environment and community interest, taking into account all factors relevant to managing development that is sustainable and contributory to the achievement of industrial and community stability.

ACTION THROUGH INFORMATION, EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION STRATEGY, STAGES AND PROCESSES

We have talked about operative or working titles like communication and management. The exercise here is about how to change the behaviour of policy makers, community dwellers, corporate organizations and so on toward their environment especially in the coastal region. In an environmental campaign for example, a communicator’s objective will involve altering the way people think or behave about a particular environmental issue. But before embarking on this, he or she must first find out what people in the target audience, be they government, oil companies or individuals, feel and know about the problem; such background research helps to ensure that appropriate strategies are adopted from the start.

In addition to understanding the attitudes and behaviour of the target audience, communicators or facilitators must have a fair understanding of the general dynamics of human behaviour change, factors that motivate people to change the way they think. These are some factors that can influence change of attitude in people:

• physical stimuli – based on the person’s current physical state as well as fear of future pain and discomfort or memory of past pain;
• rational stimuli – based on knowledge and reasoning;
• emotional stimuli – based on a person’s intensity of feeling of fear, love or hope;
• skills - based on a person’s capacity to adopt and continue a new behaviour;
• family and personal network – based on influence from family and peers; and
• social structures – based on the impact of social, economic, legal and technological factors on the daily life of a person.

The steps to behaviour change according to theorists are knowledge, approval, intention, practice and advocacy.

Having learnt about factors that affect behavioral change in people, we can now settle down to the specific strategies that will help to bring about sustainable management in the oil-producing areas of Nigeria. For our use here, I consider the ‘P’ process most suitable. The ‘P’ process is a framework that tells one, step - by - step, how to develop a strategic communication programme. It was developed in 1982 by the Johns Hopkins centre for communication programmes and was initially intended only for strategic health communication programmes. The ‘P’ process has been revised, over the 15 years since its inception, to reflect better the needs of the field and improvements in knowledge and to broaden its scope. The revised ‘P’ process emphasizes national communication strategies; positioning of products, practices and services; and more effective message development using the 7Cs of communication: command attention, cater to the heart and head, clarify the message, communicate a benefit, create trust, convey a consistent message and call for action.

The ‘P’ process has five steps for the implementation of effective IEC strategy. In order they are:

1. analysis;
2. strategic design;
3. development, pre-testing and production;
4. management implementation and monitoring;
5. impact evaluation.

When these steps are correctly employed in addressing communication problems, the chances are that the task will become easier, for example:

Step 1: Audience analysis

To analyze the audience or environment of study, one needs to ask the following questions: What is the communication problem? What programme resources should a communication planner consider? Which audience segment should the communication intervention focus on? What characteristics of the audience segment can be targeted to make the environmental campaign more effective? To answer some of these questions one must look at the big picture by being aware of the total situation such as programme strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Select an audience according to the communication situation. Draw up a profile of this audience so as to understand factors that could help in designing the most effective environmental communication.

Step 2: Objective and message design

In designing a campaign, it is necessary to come up with well thought out objectives as they provide the foundation for intervention. Objective = a goal, strategy = a plan. All campaigns should follow the SMART rule that every objective should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound. This can be achieved by ensuring that communication programmes are designed so that the target audience has a clear perception of how it might benefit from a change in behaviour. Consider the secondary audience – who it is and how may it be affected by the message. Planners should always answer the following questions in SMART: What is the purpose? Who is the primary audience? What is the key promise/benefit? What are the support points? What is the desired action response?

Step 3: Message and materials

The third step deals with message and materials development, pre-testing and production. The planner develops the message concept by developing materials (scripts, story boards, posters, brochures, etc.), designs the message based on the concepts, revises the message and most importantly follow the 7Cs of effective communication. Note the final pre-test should be conducted with a test target audience to ensure message clarity and appropriateness.

Step 4: Management of information, communication, education programmes

Good management is often said to be essential to the success of any communication campaign. It also follows that good management can mean the ability to start, change or stop which implies that managers can start desirable activities, change plans when necessary and halt unproductive activities. The key tasks of an IEC manager are setting the project going, establishing working procedures, managing people, problem solving and decision making; overall creating a productive working climate through good communication. The management task also involves accomplishing tasks effectively through planning, organization and control. In carrying out these management tasks wise IEC managers appreciate the benefits of securing the participation of others by allowing joint/shared ownership of ideas and plans from the start of the project.

Step 5: Impact evaluation

Impact evaluation tells us whether or not a programme met its objective by changing the knowledge, attitude or behaviour of intended audiences or by influencing policy making. Programmes that are not evaluated waste time and resources and have little impact on future development. By identifying the effects of different activities on different audiences, sound programme evaluation can support programme advocacy, stimulate programme improvement and guide cost-effective funding allocation in the future. Some key elements of evaluation include early planning, use of behaviour change models, employment of different evaluation methodologies, qualitative and quantitative cost effectiveness and the dissemination of evaluation results to others. The next steps after the evaluation process of a successful project are to plan for its continuation, scaling it up, advocating similar projects elsewhere etc.

An example: pollution in the Okrika region

Having discussed the ‘P’ process at length and how it can be used to address sustainable management problems of coastal regions, I shall present an example of an oil-producing area in Nigeria to show how the ‘theory’ is applied.

Area: Okrika in the Rivers State of Nigeria.
Problem: regular oil spillage, air pollution, gas flaring, acid rain, emissions from a variety of sources and water pollution.
Audience segment profile: Local citizens of whom 80% are illiterate; multinational companies that promise contracts and youth employment (but often do not fulfill their promises) and that pay occasional, inadequate compensation to chiefs; local government.
Leading organizations: WNC (Wakirike National Congress), KEDEF (Kirikese Environmental Educational Development Fund), Sakabari Masquerade Society etc.

Having applied step one of the ‘P’process, it is obvious that to bring about sustainable development in the area using IEC strategies, a tri-partite action involving industry, the community and government will be necessary.

Industry

Industrial managers could be approached by environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local dignitaries. Specific seminars that clearly present the subject of discourse using audio-visual aids can also be of immense help. Media advocacy campaigns, e.g. jingles, sponsored programmes in the electronic media and newspaper columns with well designed messages will serve as constant reminders to multinational industries (especially the oil companies which are the major agents of pollution in the area) of their responsibilities. Other materials that could be used to give simple, clear and direct messages are billboards, posters and stickers.

Community

The community could be educated through social mobilization activities such as rallies by NGOs, the use of drama sketches at community gatherings, sensitization and mobilization of women’s associations, on simple hygiene, e.g. boiling water before drinking, going for medical checks as a way of addressing some of the health problems. Youths could be encouraged to employ communal efforts in effecting some positive changes in the environment, e.g. building public pit latrines instead of using the sea shore as is the common practise in the region today.

Some other environmental health hazards could also be reduced or prevented by dissuading fishermen in the coastal areas from using chemicals and dynamites to fish by educating them on the short and long-term health dangers posed by them. Small trade groups and others should be encouraged to form co-operative societies to enable them to access soft loans from the Family Support Programme or the Family Economic Advancement Programme. It is important to note that a broad-based representation of community-based organizations (CBOs), NGOs and individuals is necessary in carrying out a number of these activities.

Government

G overnment can play its part by enacting enforceable legislation to deter environmental pollution and degradation. Government should also collaborate effectively with industries in oil-producing areas to set up cottage industries to alleviate unemployment. Government needs to persuade industry to show more interest in and commitment to their host community by compelling them to re-train people who have lost their jobs as a result of industrial pollution.

Government should compel the companies to adhere to the country’s recommended environmental standards. This could be achieved by close monitoring of the industries by government and concerned individuals. Government environmental agencies should be made relevant to the community by giving them more autonomy and greater powers.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Nigeria has long been known as a source of strategic minerals from the heyday of coal, iron ore, columbite and tin through to the oil boom. Yet environmental laws are either weak or non-existent. Despite the problems of pollution and disruption of the nation’s ecosystem, the problem of environmental pollution and lack of physical planning can be addressed by delineating appropriate jurisdictional boundaries to facilitate effective monitoring, evaluation and enhancement of the state of the environment and elements within it.

An appropriate institutional framework to facilitate efficient and effective performance of environmental regulatory and management functions needs to be designed. Adequate planning systems to ensure that environmental resources will be used in an optimally efficient way and to promote public enlightenment about the consequences of environmental pollution and virtues of environmental cleanliness should be established. African states, and Nigeria in particular, must undertake measures to ensure the optimal exploitation of natural resources which must necessarily be conditioned by ecological limitations. Therefore, the government as a regulatory body must seek to ensure an ecologically sustainable economic development through proper environmental management attainable with the aid of the IEC strategies presented in this text.

CONCLUSION

Much has been said about the oil-producing areas, but now is the time for participatory action and intervention to mitigate a looming crisis. Creation of a viable community-based economy to address poverty and human misery is a sure step on the road to attaining sustainable development in the coastal region. Using IEC, a policy framework founded on strategic regional planning, urban design and integrated rural development should be formulated.

It is to be hoped that by the time African leaders converge in Maputo at the end of the technical workshops to discuss this subject, they will find the information put together by this workshop invaluable and act promptly on it so that in no distant future, prosperity will begin to replace poverty and co-operation replace conflict for the realization of global peace and harmony.

Recap of the basic principles of the ‘P’ process

At every stage of the ‘P’ process, the following basic principles apply:

• Strategic thinking: Identifying communication as continuous, direct and a major influence on behaviour and policy. Mobilize and deploy the power of communication at all levels to promote and support good health practices;
• Leadership support: Build support among national and local leaders continuously from the initial assessment to the sharing of evaluation results. Allow political, religious and community leaders to share credit for programmes when accomplished;
• Audience participation: Encourage your audience to be actively involved at every stage, assessing their needs planning the strategy, carrying out local activities, assisting in monitoring and evaluation as well as engaging in advocacy. Develop key messages around the needs of the audience and the benefits to the audience;
• Interdisciplinary approach: Work with people from different disciplines and backgrounds including health personnel and other relevant professionals to secure the diverse skills and technical expertise required;
• Co-ordination with service providers: Design communication programmes to identify and reinforce facilities to promote access and quality;
• Public/private partnerships: Build partnerships among government agencies, NGOs and the corporate world to enhance reinforcement of communication programmes and learn from one another;
• Multiple channels: Set up a lead agency and channel to carry the message and reinforce it with other appropriate (mass, community and inter-personal) media as the case may be. Use the medium that will best reach the intended audience to achieve the most effective programmes;
• Inter-educational approaches: Employ entertainment to reach and persuade audiences, especially young people. Develop and adapt entertaining materials for mass media and community distribution;
• Training and capacity building: At every step train individuals and build institutional capabilities to carry out effective programmes. Use educational sessions and on-the-job training to create a critical mass of communication experts;
• Monitoring and evaluation: Plan for evaluation from the start to measure changes in the intended audiences and to know whether objectives are achieved, monitor project out-puts regularly and make necessary adjustments, share funding widely to improve future programmes; and
• Continuity and sustainability: Plan for continuity from the start with activities that can become sustainable over time. Expand programmes, service activities and coalition as appropriate to build a larger base for advocacy and community support.

REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL READING

Akingbde, T. 1996. The ABCs of Health and Environment, a quick guide for schools and colleges, Lagos, Tintune.

Augustine Ike, A. 1990, The impact of oil on a developing country: The case of Nigeria. New York, Praeger Publishers.

A simple guide for trainers; combating violence against women. WLDCN Publication.

Niger Delta Environmental Survey. Phase I Report, September 1997.

Processes and Principles of Strategic Communication for Health. JHU/PCS Publication.

Collins Gem English Dictionary. Great Britain, Clear type press, 1981.

Collective Response to Community Communication Needs. South Western Nigeria NGOs communication strategy workshop papers, 1998.

Advances in Family Health Communication Workshop for Nigeria. October. USAID, JHU/PCS, 1997.

Blue Print on Okrika. Kirikese Environmental Educational Development Fund (KEDEF).

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