Nigerians, particularly those in rural areas, have been advised against reverting to firewood due to economic challenges and the recent increase in cooking gas prices.
This caution was issued by researchers and climate change advocates during a program in Abuja on Tuesday focused on “Maximizing Energy Transition Opportunities in Nigeria.”
This warning follows a rise in the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), commonly known as cooking gas, which increased from N1,350 to N1,500 per kilogram.
The PUNCH also noted that cooking gas prices reached as high as N1,500 per kilogram in certain retail outlets in Ogun and Lagos States as of Sunday, while the average cost for refilling a 12.5kg cylinder of cooking gas in various areas of Abuja surged by 41.6% to N17,000.
In response, Amara Nwamkpa, the Director of Partnership and Development at the Shehu Yar’Adua Foundation, acknowledged that the recent situation might compel some Nigerians to revert to using firewood for cooking.
Nwamkpa also advised Nigerians to think carefully before switching from cooking gas to firewood due to the risks associated with smoke exposure and its health effects.
The researcher emphasized that, as the global community strives for an energy transition driven by climate change, Nigerians should begin exploring renewable energy and clean cooking alternatives.
He said, “The transition to clean cooking is not an attempt to completely eliminate firewood but to reduce the exposure and inhalation of smoke in the process of its use. These are some of the things that cause respiratory diseases and 40 per cent of the pneumonia cases we are having in the country.
“There are several versions of this clean cooking (stoves) that still use firewood. The good thing about it is that it uses less wood. This involves rudimentary technology because clean cooking is all about insulation and the expertise of building these local ovens or stoves can even be done by local welders and artisans in the community.
“This is the kind of initiative that could touch the lives of the majority of Nigerians if we successfully transition from continued exposure to firewood smoke to clean cooking. It will also improve their health and quality of life, especially for people at the bottom of the pyramid. It will even ameliorate the hardship many areas facing in the country.”
Another specialist from the Africa Policy Research Initiative, Olumide Onitekun, echoed the caution that using firewood poses health risks.
Onitekun also expressed worries that persistent advocacy efforts are needed to inform grassroots Nigerians about the dangers due to the long-standing cultural norms surrounding firewood usage.
He said, “Our transition is not binary. It is a process. Nigeria has an abundance of natural gas. Health-wise, using firewood for cooking is not safe. There are a whole lot of health implications involved when humans are exposed to the emissions that come from firewood cooking.
“This is why the advocacy for clean cooking is very important. The health benefits of climate change beyond the environment cannot be overemphasised. The need to domesticate clean cooking is essential.
“We know there is a cultural barrier to this because people, especially at the grassroots have been using firewood for a long time. This is why engaging them must be targeted. I believe it is high time the government put the right policy in place to stimulate the interest of the private sector in the area of renewable energy.
“Things may be expensive, there are different forms of acquisition. For instance, I understand the pay-as-you-go model comes with its challenges. But we can’t have a solution without a challenge.”
In his earlier remarks, Patrick Okigbo, Founding Partner of Nextier Advisory Limited, highlighted that the key distinction between energy transition and fossil fuels lies in the fact that the former is motivated by climate change rather than by resource scarcity or efficiency concerns.
Okigbo also asserted his belief that Nigeria is steadily moving towards the global transition to renewable energy and anticipated a future when the country would no longer depend on crude oil from the Niger Delta.
The PUNCH
