Budget: FG allocates N35m to charcoal production mapping

The map, according to a publication of the Federal Ministry of Environment, would facilitate the introduction of energy efficient stoves in the country.  Daily Trust recalls that the National Environmental Standards Regulation and Enforcement Agency’s (NESREA), an agency of the ministry, recently unveiled some sets of regulations aimed at protecting the environment among which is […]

The map, according to a publication of the Federal Ministry of Environment, would facilitate the introduction of energy efficient stoves in the country.  
Daily Trust recalls that the National Environmental Standards Regulation and Enforcement Agency’s (NESREA), an agency of the ministry, recently unveiled some sets of regulations aimed at protecting the environment among which is Charcoal Act, the National Environmental Control on Charcoal Production and Export that seeks to control the production and use of charcoal in the country.
It would also be recalled that the National Council on Environment in 2011 approved total ban on production, sales and export of charcoal.
The ban was adopted at the 8th National Council on Environment meeting in Kaduna, with the theme “Transforming the Nigerian Environment.” The ban followed the adoption of a memorandum by the Federal Ministry of Environment no FMENV/08/FED/08 and titled ‘Request for Total Ban of Charcoal Export and Control of Interstate Fuel Wood Trade In Nigeria.’
The memo had sought the outright ban on the commodities and the regulation of interstate fuel wood and charcoal trade, in an effort to increase the areas under forest cover and other attendant socio-economic and environment consequences. The council, while adopting the recommendation, advised the federal government to further subsidize kerosene and domestic gas, to make them accessible to communities and consumers, with a view to curtailing the use of fire wood by households.
The council, however, urged states and local governments to apply methods suitable to them to ensure compliance in controlling the movement of such products between their boundaries as it could not dictate measures to be taken to implement the ban.
As a follow up to the council’s resolution, the ministry in 2013 said it was going to make about 10 million clean cook stove available to Nigerians.
Engr Bahijjatu Abubakar, Head of the Ministry’s Renewable Energy Unit, said that already, about 1.3 million women have been registered as possible beneficiaries of the clean energy cook stove expected to be made available by government.
Nigeria Alliance for Clean Cook Stove, a non-governmental movement, is also mobilising to avail Nigerians of additional 10 million stoves.
A National Council on Environment resolution made available to Daily Trust noted that the charcoal business, if allowed, would thwart President Goodluck Jonathan’s efforts to address the menace of deforestation and desert encroachment, soil and gully erosion, as well as flooding and pollution control activities hence, the need for government and the civil societies to collaborate and ensure massive distribution of the cook stove.
The Supervising Minister of Environment, Arc. Darius Ishaku, said recently that evidence suggests that widespread deployment of clean cook stoves and solar lighting systems, under the RUWES project of the ministry, along with energy and combustion efficiency are improvements over traditional dirty fuel sources, which could also potentially help lessen adverse effect on human health, energy, poverty, time and income savings and climate consequences.
He said it would also reduce black carbon emission by phasing out single-wick kerosene lighting and oily lamp through the introduction of small off grid lighting systems that use light emitting diodes (LEDS). and provision of household stand- alone solar solutions.