By David Akinmola
Experts in communication and sustainability have stressed the need for a coordinated national framework to streamline how government institutions, private sector, and the media communicate Environmental, Social and Government (ESG) issues, warning that Nigeria’s fragmented messaging is hindering accountability, investment confidence and long-term development.
The proposal centred on the creation of a National Sustainability Communication Standard (NSCS) emerged during a virtual panel discussion theme, “Sustainability Communication in Nigeria: Bridging the Knowledge Gap through Strategic Stakeholders Dialogue.”
The session was convened yesterday by Oluwatobi Abodunrin, Walter Micheal, Adedayo Okusanya, and Anuoluwatomi Olorundare, and postgraduate students of Media and Communication at Pan-Atlantic University.
At the forum, panelists agued that Nigeria’s fragmented sustainability narrative is slowing national development, dampening investor confidence, and limiting accountability in the implementation of ESG commitments.
Senior Environmental Systems and Performance Advisor at SCS Railways UK, Grace Ejms, described the country’s reporting landscape as disjointed. “Government speaks in policy and SDG targets, businesses focus on ESG compliance, while the media reports crises and corruption,” she said.
“you can’t close a communication gap with more noise only with shared standards.”
Ejims recommended a simplified reporting model that would mandate ministries, corporations, and media organizations to publish accessible one-page yearly sustainability updates to improve public understanding and track progress.
Offering a private-sector viewpoint, senior Marine and Offshore Environmental Specialist at NNPC Limited, Michael Ogbuefi, stressed the need for early community inclusion and transparent feedback systems.
“When people see data in formats they can understand, accountability stops being a policy statement and becomes a shared community value,” he noted.
Sustainability strategist Ese Ikponmwomba, stressed the need for human-centred-storytelling that frames sustainability around everyday concerns such as cleaner environments, better health outcomes, and income generation from recycling.
She highlighted the use of local languages and specialized journalist training as essential tools for bridging the knowledge gap.
Speaking also, the Customer Service Relation Specialist, Blessing Ayorinde, added, that current sustainability reporting “excludes the average citizen,” urging that complex ESG frameworks be translated into visual, narrative-driven formats that reflect the everyday experiences of Nigerians.
The panel recommende the establishment of national collaboration hubs hosted by universities or industry bodies to enhance dialogue between government, the private sector, and the media. These hubs, they said, should anchor shared dashboards and yearly accountability reports accessible to the public.
Summarizing the discussion,Olorundare said sustainability communication must evolve into “a shared national language that connects government plans, business actions and citizens’ lived realities,” rather than remain a peripheral conversation.
They concluded by saying that a unified sustainability communication framework would strengthen investor confidence, attract green financing, and position Nigeria as a regional leader in sustainability development.
