FG to give out 774,000 gas cylinders to rural women

Solomon Ezeme

The Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, has announced Federal Government’s plan to distribute 774,000 cooking gas cylinders with burners to women living in rural communities.

The idea is to promote the use of alternative and clean energy and also ensure that their health and businesses are protected.

The Minister disclosed this during the ‘Clean Cooking Forum’ held in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to her, the Phase I of the project has been carried out in Adamawa, Edo, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Katsina, Nasarawa and the FCT while the Phase II will commence in Akwa Ibom, Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau, Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi, Bayelsa, Kwara, Jigawa, Oyo, Osun, Enugu, Imo and Delta.

Each LGA in all states will be allotted 1000 cooking gas cylinders for distribution.

According to her, the aim of the project is to enhance the health and improve the businesses of women in rural areas by encouraging them to make use of clean energy, in cooking.

She added that the Ministry will be partnering with different stakeholders and experts to effectively carry out the distribution and sensitization, across all shortlisted states for Phase II.

“We intend to work with critical stakeholders and other spirited organizations on the implementation strategy, which will be a broad framework encompassing all forms of clean cooking and safety measures across the country,” the Minister said.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, during her speech, stressed the need for increased usage of cooking gas among Nigerian women, as she explained that it will help save lives, ensure healthy living, improve quality of life, reduce exposure to air pollution and create more jobs for older women and young girls in the country.

She projected that about 60% of Nigerian households will embrace gas (traditional biomass) as their primary energy for cooking, if the current policy can be maintained till 2030.

Also, the Executive Director of the International Centre for Energy, Environment & Development, Mr Ewah Eleri, appealed to the FG to declare cooking gas free of charge to households as the use of the product is essential and will ensure the safety of lives and properties of its citizens.