The Global Environmental Facility (GEF), has restated its commitment to support the advocacy programme to promote the use of clean cooking stoves in Nigeria.
The National Coordinator of GEF Small Grant Programme (GEF-SGP), Mrs Ibironke Olubamise, made this disclosure in an interview in Abuja on Sunday.
GEF is the largest provider of environmental related grants being implemented by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
GEF-SGP delivers global environmental benefits in the GEF focal areas of biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, protection of international waters and prevention of land degradation.
According to Olubamise, it supports alternative livelihood activities that helped to reduce pressure on the environment and enhances the quality of lives of the target communities, including widows and aged.
GEF also supports any Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Corporate Body Organisations (CBOs) that has strategies to drive the advocacy programme to promote the use of clean cooking stoves, thereby addressing environmental issue.
She, however, urged the government and other stakeholders in the environment sector to intensify campaigns on the indiscriminate felling of trees and firewood consumption.
The coordinator said that the awareness campaign would assist in reducing felling of trees and firewood consumption in the country.
She said that GEF-SGP engaged in educating many people in different communities in Cross River, Gombe, Lagos and other states of the federation on the need to reduce the habit of cutting trees.
“Before, some communities did not know the implication of tree felling but now everybody knows that there is a problem.
“How do we solve it? There is the need for political will and individual effort to create awareness.
“You will notice before that some people see animals at their backyards but now they don’t see them due to the cutting of trees,’’ she said.
The national coordinator said that GEF-SGP embarked on campaign against indiscriminate trees felling in different communities and provided energy saving cooking stoves to those who used firewood for cooking.
Olubamise said that energy saving cooking stoves had reduced the use of firewood by 70 per cent.
According to her, people have been able to reduce their use of firewood by 70 per cent. That means that instead of using ten sticks to cook, it reduces to three sticks.
“So that is one thing we do for those who are using it for firewood but those who are cutting it for sale, we must look for them alternative activities as a means of livelihood.
“We cannot tell them to stop entirely but if we create alternative for them and give them energy saving stoves for cooking, they will reduce their pressure.
“There is also the need to encourage them to plant trees: Many of them will agree when you engage them to plant trees,’’ she said.
Olubamise, who observed that some people cut trees for firewood and logging, said GEF-SGP succeeded in sensitising different communities on the dangers of felling trees in Cross River.
“In Cross River, communities don’t allow logging because of the awareness we created in those communities,’’ she said.
The national coordinator said that the creation of awareness and declaration of 2013 as Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) year in Lagos by former Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos state, made firewood users to use gas in the state.
“Before, restaurants, households and others in Lagos used to buy and use firewood; there is a way they can make gas available for people.
“The first challenge they faced was the fear of using gas because it may burn their houses but with so much of awareness creation and sensitisation on the use of gas, Fashola declared 2013 the year of LPG in Lagos.
“And today, hardly will you go to Lagos and go to any restaurant and see them using firewood to cook. That is one success story of our support,” Olubamise said. (NAN)
