International Journal of Sub-Saharan African Research (IJSSAR)

Background: Climate change is crucial to both environmental health and societal livelihoods. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) code, in its social responsibility obligations prescriptions, though not explicitly, implicitly mandates radio to promote environmental justice and climate change mitigation strategies in society, yet scholarly attention remains sparse.
Objective: This study examined the NBC Code’s provisions for promoting environmental justice in climate change communication, and investigated Ibadan radio’s reportage of climate change in vulnerable communities. It also assessed the impact of radio content in promoting environmental justice and mitigation strategies, and identified barriers to the inclusion of diverse voices in reportage.
Method: This study adopted a mixed-methods approach. It involved the use of content analysis of climate change content aired on Premier FM (Federal), Amuludun FM (State), and Agidigbo FM (Private) between January and June 2025, with a descriptive survey involving 15 radio practitioners, interviews with 11 community leaders, a focused group discussion among 22 residents and an in-depth interview with five NBC staff.
Result: Findings revealed a regulatory gap, specifically a lack of explicit NBC Code guidelines for climate change diversity and environmental justice. The predominance reliance of radio on official sources (58.3%) and event-driven reporting (45%), resulted in the marginalisation of vulnerable communities (8.3%), thereby limiting participatory and justice-oriented climate discourse. Unique contribution: This study contributes to scholarship by revealing how gaps in the NBC Code may inadvertently enable radio stations to perpetuate informational inequities through the marginalisation of vulnerable communities in climate change reportage. It thus advances understanding of the relationship between media regulation, climate communication, and environmental justice in Nigeria. Recommendation: It is recommended that the NBC Code be revised to include explicit guidelines for climate change and environmental justice, and stations should increase investment in specialised environmental journalism training.