A Nigerian PhD pupil on the Missouri College of Journalism, Damilola Oduolowu, has earned a coveted Pulitzer Heart grant to make clear the fast destruction of mangroves in Lagos State.
Oduolowu, who’s conducting his analysis on digital journalism and its intersection with environmental and local weather change reporting, mentioned he sees journalism as a device for driving societal transformation.
He defined that the grant would assist his investigation into Lagos’ disappearing mangroves, a urgent environmental situation that had lengthy been missed.
Highlighting the urgency of the issue, Oduolowu remarked, “Mangroves are one of the crucial very important marine ecosystems, and their destruction at an alarming fee in Lagos is a narrative that has been terribly underreported.”
Throughout his return to Lagos from america to start his fieldwork, Oduolowu visited coastal communities to discover the foundation causes of mangrove depletion and the cascading results on native populations.
He mentioned researchers estimated that Lagos State had misplaced between 50% and 70% of its mangrove cowl for the reason that Sixties—a loss that threatens biodiversity, endangers livelihoods, and weakens pure defences towards local weather change.
Supported by the Pulitzer Heart’s international initiative to deal with missed points reminiscent of local weather change, migration, and public well being, Oduolowu mentioned he goals to amplify the voices of affected communities, including that his work would carry worldwide consideration to how human actions and local weather change disproportionately affect weak communities in Lagos, sparking discussions on sustainable options.
“The Pulitzer Heart grant allows me to inform these untold tales and convey them to a worldwide viewers via partnerships with main media platforms,” Oduolowu defined.
Earlier than pursuing his PhD, Oduolowu spent a decade in multimedia journalism, together with serving as a Senior Journalist with the BBC World Service. With experience in tv, radio, and digital media, his profession has persistently targeted on protecting underreported tales to encourage change.
His newest work not solely highlights the plight of Lagos’ mangroves but in addition underscores the position of journalism in advocating for environmental justice and sustainable growth in Nigeria and past.
