By Rosemary Ogbonnaya
Nigeria Women for Gas and Green Initiative flagged off its Clean and Green Nigeria campaign in Abuja with firm commitment to make at least 30% significant impact in President Buhari’s 2060 Net-zero commitment and the FGN’s carbon emission reduction agenda and actions by 2030 as active climate action partners.
The event was anchored on the theme; Climate Change: Create Awareness, take Action
Disclosing its mandate, the group said Clean and Green Nigeria Campaign targets a 30% Dome-gas penetration in the over 48 million households in Nigeria with her Gas-to-Home clean cooking strategy by the year 2025.
According to the women group, it is also set to sequester about one billion pounds of carbon by the year 2030 with her #1 woman, 1 tree, #1 Child, 1 tree project, WAZOBIA Women Green Wall and Gardens projects focused at planting at least one million trees in each of the 774 local government areas connecting the 8,812 wards in Nigeria.
The Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva who was the Special Guest of Honour, represented by the Senior Technical Assistant to the minister, Brenda Ataga commended the resolve of the Nigerian women under the aegis of the Nigeria Women for Gas and Green Initiative to partner with the government in the implementation of the National Gas Expansion Programme and declared the Ministry’s endorsement and commitment to NW4GGi’s Gas-to-Home project.
Brenda said “as a government we are committed to ensuring that LPG is in every single household in Nigeria. We do not want to see women use firewood in this country any more. We should protect and preserve our forests and protect our women from preventable respiratory health. Our women should be seen involved in more meaningful trade.”
This, we cannot do without fore mostly empowering our women to adopt and use Gas which has the potential to make major contribution towards the clean energy drive and accelerate Nigeria’s move towards sustainable energy as aligned in SDG goal 7.
“We have set out mandate to support organizations to deploy LPG, we have commenced that with access to the CBN intervention funds which gives SMEs opportunities to develop micro businesses through the Micro Distribution Centers that will be deployed on communities environs so that LPG is closer to homes for utilization, with this, we would promote clean and affordable energy”
On her part, the Minister of State for the environment, Sharon Ikeazor who was represented by the Director general of the National Great Green Wall Agency, Dr. Bukar Hassan, acknowledged the ministry’s endorsement and support to the activities of the Nigeria women for Gas and Green Initiative especially with its tree planting campaign and projects.
The Minister of state for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu who was the Chief Host and Launcher of the event, unveiled the Clean and Green Nigeria campaign logo, the #1 women 1 tree and the #1 Child, 1 tree as well as the Gas-to-Home projects. She called for stiffer penalties for those who fell trees without replacing them.
She promised the support of the authorities of the Federal Capital Territory in the Autogas Conversion Support programme of the Nigeria Women for Gas and Green Initiative with the appeal to include female auto mechanics in every Autogas Conversion training programme organized by the technical arm of the NW4GGi to fast track the federal government’s Fuel – to Gas transition programme.
Meanwhile the Chairperson of the Nigeria Women for Gas and Green Initiative, Hajiya Maryam Salihu Ibrahim said the NGO and her projects are designed to support government’s policies on climate change for example – tree planting and domestic gas adoption / utilization as a means of reducing pollution and making the environment safe for all.
“We resolve to bequeath a healthy earth and habitable environment to future generations with the mandate to reduce carbon emission by 30 percent by 2030 through our Clean and Green Nigeria campaign project as Nigeria Women’s National emission Reduction Support Strategy which is launched today.”
In his remark, the Project Coordinator of the Clean and Green Nigeria Campaign, Mr. Valentine Igoniwari noted that the Clean and Green Nigerian campaign is the result of a synergy between Private Sector’s Corporate Social Responsibilty agenda and the Nigerian Women to ensure such inclusiveness that will fast track women awareness, development and actions as stakeholders and active partners in the implementation of key economic programs in Nigeria with special focus on carbon emission reduction.
Mr. Igonwari added that the woman as the natural bridge to life on earth, sets the development agenda and moral tone of man, family and the society.
Her sensitive duty of care for everyone and the environment glows visibly in her nature and style of naturally transmitting values which interpretes our quality of life and well being.
“So in this climate action call, this battle to save our earth, she is pivotal for ‘development’ revolves around her and is sustained by her. So the society should pay detailed attention to the woman.
NW4GGi, an umbrella of women for green revolution inspires the Nigerian Women to take the first step in the battle to save our earth, by greening our environment which cooperates with nature. That brought about the concept of #1woman,1tree and #1 child,1 tree project to align with and fast track the global climate actions.”
In her welcome address, the National Coordinator of the Nigeria Women for Gas and Green Initiative, Engineer Joyce Daser Adams enjoined all to identify and champion the course on climate action to establish a meaningful movement to tackle climate change in other to leave the earth much better and safer for the next generation.
The Nigeria Women for gas is a non- governmmetal, non-for-profit organization established for the mobilization of women to promote adaptive measures to mitigate the impact of climate change through the utilization of gas, planting of trees and empowering women with requisite skills to become beneficiaries of the carbon reduction value chain in line with the 2060 NetZero carbon reduction target of the global community.
Over 800 women drawn from the 36 states and the FCT attended the event.
