EnviroNews Nigeria is a multi-media web-based news magazine that seeks to highlight a range of topical environment and development-related issues emerging daily in the developing world in particular, and the entire universe in general. The portal aims to provide a platform to educate, support business and, most importantly, make a change. It will give a voice to the voiceless.
Essentially, EnviroNews Nigeria is dedicated to the pursuit of a healthy and pollution-free environment via effective information dissemination.
The EnviroNews Nigeria team comprises dedicated and experienced local and international environmental science journalists, headed by Michael Ohioze Simire, an urban planner and Fellow of both the Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) and the Climate Change Media Partnership (CCMP). He is also a member of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), and is registered by the Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC).
EnviroNews Nigeria is a partner organisation with the Internews' Earth Journalism Network (EJN), and member organisation of the Climate and Sustainable Development Network of Nigeria (CSDevNet) (www.csdevnet.org) as well as African Network of Environmental Journalists (ANEJ).
EnviroNews Nigeria acknowledges the support of the International Centre for Energy, Environment and Development (ICEED); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Africa Adaptation Programme (AAP); Building Nigeria's Response to Climate Change (BNRCC) ; Centre for Investment, Sustainable Development, Management & Environment (CISME); internationally-acclaimed Professor of Climatology, Prof. Olukayode Oladipo; and former Nigerian Environment Minister, Mr. John Odey.
Michael Simire is an urban planner, environmentalist, science journalist, media manager and trainer. He is the Founder of EnviroNews Nigeria.
A Fellow of the Leadership for Environment & Development (LEAD) (LEAD-AWA, Cohort 13) and Climate Change Media Partnership (CCMP), he holds bachelor and masters degrees in Urban & Regional Planning from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and University of Lagos, Akoka. He also holds Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism/Public Relations from the Times Journalism Institute, Lagos; and Diploma in Science Journalism from the Science Journalism Cooperation Programme (SjCooP) of the World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ) based in Canada.
He is a professionally qualified urban planner – a corporate member of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (MNITP) and registered by the Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (RTP). MS & Associates Limited, which he heads, is a firm of urban planning, environmental management and development consultants, as well as publishers of EnviroNews Nigeria. The firm is registered by the Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC) and a member of the Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON).
A recipient of numerous media awards (15 in all), Simire serves as International Partner/Trainer/Mentor as well as Africa Regional Juror with the Internews' Earth Journalism Network (EJN) in the US. He is co-author, Nigerian Environment Centenary Symposium (1914-2014).
He started his journalism career at The Guardian Newspapers where he was on the Housing & Environment Desk in December 1991. He later joined The Punch Newspapers in 2002, where he was Head of Environment Desk and later Assistant Editor. In 2006, he moved to Independent Newspapers Limited as Environment Editor of Daily Independent, and later became Deputy Editor, Sunday Independent.
Widely travelled, Simire has attended numerous local and international conferences as a journalist/participant/resource person. A media trainer and mentor, public speaker and media/public relations development expert, he has delivered papers on climate change, water & sanitation, clean cook energy, REDD+, marine pollution, biosafety/biotechnology, etc.