Chevron Nigeria Limited has reiterated its commitment to strengthening energy journalism in the country, urging reporters to deepen technical knowledge of the sector, prioritise data accuracy and adopt responsible use of artificial intelligence.

Manager Communications at Chevron, Dr Victor Anyagbudike,  made the remarks at a one-day capacity-building workshop for journalists organised in partnership with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council in Abuja.

The training with the theme “Strengthening Energy Journalism Through Knowledge, Data Accuracy and Artificial Intelligence,” is part of Chevron’s broader media development initiative that began in 2014.

“The media sets the agenda for public discourse. Whatever people know, they get from what they hear or read from the media. If we are to have the kind of society we want, we must cooperate more,” Anyagbudike said, stressing the strategic role of journalists as the “fourth estate of the realm”.

He noted that Chevron’s Advanced Writing and Reporting Skills (AWARES) programme, initially partnered with Pan-Atlantic University in Lagos, has trained about 140 journalists since its inception. With expanded collaborations across NUJ chapters in Lagos, Delta and Abuja, the company expects to have trained close to 400 journalists by year-end.

On energy reporting, Anyagbudike called for deeper sectoral understanding. “If I come here and talk about gas development—getting gas from the ground, piping it, taking it to end-users—you should understand what I’m talking about,” he said, adding that accurate context is critical when reporting on prices, infrastructure or policy.

He also highlighted Chevron’s gas monetisation and flare reduction efforts, noting that routine flaring in its Nigerian operations has dropped by over 97 per cent in the last decade through associated gas capture and processing projects.

On local content, he said Chevron spends about $1 billion annually on Nigerian suppliers and contractors, totaling over $10 billion in the last 10 years, while pioneering community development models such as the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) in 2005 and now transitioning to Host Community Development Trusts under the Petroleum Industry Act.

“AI is good, but it can also be bad. What we expect is responsible use of AI, how you use it to generate data, how you verify it, how you frame your reports,” he said, inviting journalists to engage Chevron’s communications team for clarification and data