By Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Considering the rate at which firewood and charcoal business thrives in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is feared that the city will not only suffer hotter environment, residents may equally suffer from increased blood pressure, low birth weight, oesophageal cancer, sick building syndrome, non-syndromic cleft lip and/or cleft palate and under-five mortality.
Despite these threatening health implications, Abuja dwellers still maintain a stoic and stubborn position in using firewood and charcoal for cooking their foods. Their stand is not unconnected with the level of impoverishment or destitution.
Firewood is not only common and reachable, it is equally cheaper and affordable than gas, kerosene, coal, solar, wind, biomass, thermal and hydro energy. This has drawn the majority poor to the use of firewood in most homes and restaurants in the city and at the suburbs.
The patronage became more irresistible in recent times following the increase in prices of gas and kerosene. Almost every home in FCT now uses firewood and charcoal. While 12.5 kilograms of gas costs between N8000 and N9000, a truckload of firewood is between N18,000 and N20,00. A kilogram of gas is between N1,300 and N1500, three pieces of big firewood go for between N200 and N300.
Reports say smoke forms when wood or other organic matters burn. The smoke from wood burning is made up of a complex mixture of gases and fine particles (also called particle pollution, particulate matter, or PM). In addition, wood smoke contains several toxic air pollutants.
Though Nigeria ratified the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2017, the country still grapples with challenges of women and children suffering from the effects of constant use of firewood and charcoal.
The International Centre for Energy, Environment, and Development (ICEED) said 93,000 Nigerians die annually as a result of smoke inhaled while cooking with firewood, with women and children as the most affected persons. This means at least 450,000 Nigerian women will die from cooking with firewood or charcoal in five years if an alternative method of cooking is not introduced at an affordable rate.
In FCT, women in many communities still cook with firewood with similar signs of chest pain, teary eyes, headache, constant cough and back pain, all associated with cooking with solid fuel.
United Nations reported that close to four million people die prematurely from illness attributable to household air pollution from inefficient cooking practices using polluting stoves. It is an indication that about 20 million people will die globally in five years from cooking with firewood if a deliberate attempt is not made to reduce this.
Many of these people live in under-developed countries like Nigeria and a significant number in and around Abuja. Mrs Benang Lot buys firewood from Toto in Nasarawa State: “A truckload is N28,000.
Sometimes I get N5000 as profit and sometimes I get less. If the government wants to stop it let them bring an alternative. For me, there is nothing else I am doing as a housewife except this business.”
Madam Dangwari is from Igon, in Nasarawa State. She travels to her village (Toto), buys from the farmers and transports to Abuja:
“We buy a truckload for between N12,000 and N16,000 and we sell at N28,000 and N30,000. We transport with N10,000. So, the profit margin is so small. I am doing the business because there is nothing else left for me. If the government wants to stop it they should provide an alternative.”
Some of the users also spoke with Daily Sun. A food vendor, Madam Chop Correct, said: “I cook for at least 2000 customers a day with N3000 worth of firewood. How much gas will I use to cook ‘ponmo?’ How much gas will I use to cook beans? If I were to use gas, it will impact on the cost of foods and I will lose my customers. I don’t think there is an alternative to firewood for now.”
A housewife, Mama Inando said cooking with firewood has become part of her. She grew up to meet firewood. Although she was introduced to gas after she got married, with the cost of gas she had to go back to firewood:
“It is true that firewood can blacken pots or cause some discomfort like teary eyes, it is cheaper to use. I cook a lot of beans for my husband because he has diabetes. I do not know how much gas I will buy to cook beans. I don’t think anybody can stop the use of firewood.”
Prof Nasiru Idris, Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, called on government to address the problems of land degradation, food security, desertification, climate change, depletion of the forest ecosystems. He said that if the trend of felling trees for firewood continues, Nigeria will not escape desertification and other attendant climatic problems.
“If you would recall, there was a total ban on production of charcoal in Nigeria especially in large quantity for export. However, a small quantity is allowed for local commercial production as the price of domestic cooking gas is rising coupled with the new Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
“Nigerian Government has to be very strict on its policies for indiscriminate destruction of forests for the production of charcoal which leads to the depletion of forest resources and further causes climate change.
“The country’s population is over 200 million and the majority has free access to the natural resource (firewood). This leads to the degradation of the forest resources. The country’s regulatory agency on the environment, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), would have to work hard to give the country a pass mark in the areas of enforcement and prosecution of any person found wanting in charcoal production without having a reforestation and rehabilitation plan.
“The Nigerian Government has to work hard in addressing the problems of land degradation, food security, desertification, climate change, depletion of the forest ecosystems and biodiversity within the country’s landscape.
“The country needs to fully start the implementation of its Nationally- Determined Contribution (NDC) and actualisation of Paris Agreement towards reducing the impact of climate change.
“Note that an average Nigerian is afraid of the law. Therefore, the Nigerian Government, through the Federal Ministry of Environment should direct the agency responsible for monitoring, enforcement and compliance that is, NESREA, to make sure that nobody is above the law.
They should hit the ground running with immediate effect in the area of charcoal production in the rural areas of the country.”
President, Nigerian Consumers Protection Network (NCPN), Kunle Kola Olubiyo, submitted that as long as cooking gas is beyond the reach of the common man, any step to stop firewood use is an effort in futility.
“The six kg of gas produced in Nigeria is about N4000 to N5000. If the access to gas is reduced as per cost implication, a lot of people will move away from firewood. We have been having desert encroachment.
Sourcing for firewood entails deforestation. I am an advocate of zero climate change adaptability to reduce green house emission and carbon dioxide that goes with firewood or fossil fuel.
“The side effects of firewood are deforestation and climate change.
But to an average Nigerian, the disposable income is nothing to write home about. They don’t even know what we are talking about because firewood is the cheapest source of energy. We must be realistic. For us to encourage them we need to incentivise them and make sure that access to cooking gas is affordable. Apart from that, whatever we are saying is big grammar and elitist in nature.”