By Grace Ademulegun
Women Affairs Minister, Imaan Suleiman Ibrahim, has expressed stern warning to women to downscale their use of firewood in cooking to lower their chances of contracting respiratory and cardiovascular ailments.
Speaking in Makurdi, Monday, December 9, the minister recalled that the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that firewood smoke causes the death of 98,000 Nigerian women.
She said WHO has equated the firewood smoke inhaled by women while preparing the daily three square meals to about 20 packets of cigarettes daily.
The minister was speaking at the opening of a three-day National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) Stakeholders Consultative Forum.
“As you may know, the World Health Organisation estimates that using firewood for cooking causes the deaths of over 98,000 Nigerian women each year,” she disclosed.
“A woman is at elevated risk for respiratory and cardiovascular problems if she uses firewood to cook three meals a day, which is equivalent to smoking three to twenty packets of cigarettes per day,” the Minister stated.
She emphasised that switching to cleaner energy, like CNG, has several benefits, including lowering home energy expenses, enhancing health outcomes, and opening up new business prospects in addition to lowering emissions.
The minister described the initiative a transformative milestone, as she underlined the urgent need for greener energy, especially for Nigerian women who are disproportionately affected by energy poverty.
Declaring the event open, Governor Alia of Benue State underlined the importance of teamwork in ensuring the National Gas Expansion Program’s success, pointing out that it has the potential to strengthen the state’s economy and raise the standard of living for its citizens.
The highlight of the programme was the distribution of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) kits and cylinders to beneficiaries and vendor exhibitions showcasing innovative solutions in the gas sector.