Despite health risks, laws, more Nigerians switch to charcoal, firewood
As the sun sets amid a drizzling Saturday morning in July, Aisha Musa struck the sixth matchstick in an effort to light a wet pile of wood to prepare dinner for her family. Her effort was defeated by the swollen wood that has been drenched by the morning rain. With the help of some used […]
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As the sun sets amid a drizzling Saturday morning in July, Aisha Musa struck the sixth matchstick in an effort to light a wet pile of wood to prepare dinner for her family. Her effort was defeated by the swollen wood that has been drenched by the morning rain.
With the help of some used nylon and sachets of noodles, Aisha’s seventh matchstick lit the fire. As the fire blazed, smoke oozed from the burning firewood into the air and Aisha’s kitchen began to turn black.
Speaking to Weekend Trust in her Dusten-Alhaji residence within Kubwa Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Aisha, a Point of Sales (POS) attendant who lives with four other siblings said she abandoned the use of cooking gas for firewood or charcoal due to its high cost.
“The situation is worse now because we used to refill our 12.5 kg gas cylinder for around N10,000 at N840 per kilogram. Now it costs around N15,000 at the rate of N1,200 per kg. We can’t continue, which is why we switched to firewood, which is not as expensive as cooking gas,” she said.
Though cheaper, the use of firewood proves difficult during the rainy season. “When the firewood is wet, we can only ignite the fire with the support of paper or nylon but if the firewood is dry, it ignites quickly. Unfortunately, the smoke affects my eyes and after setting up the fire I will have to step out for it to blaze before cooking,” she added.
The situation is the same for Moradayo Rasheedat, another resident of Dusten-Alhaji, who complained that the cost of filling a cooking gas cylinder has compounded the hardship in her family. She now uses charcoal and gas interchangeably to cut cost. “I now use cooking gas in the morning to prepare food for my children to go to school. In the evening, during weekends, and when it rains, I use charcoal because it is more affordable. With N7,000 I can get a bag of charcoal that can last more than two months,” she said.
Despite laws that prohibit felling of tress and the health implications from the use of firewood and charcoal, many Nigerians remain adamant saying its cost effectiveness makes it a preferable option to middle and low-income earners.
Cooking gas, otherwise known as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is described by the World Health Organisation as clean energy. This means, unlike charcoal and firewood, it does not produce unhealthy emissions and there is no danger of forest degradation.
However, the soaring price of LPG continue to leave many with a less healthy option. Findings by the Weekend Trust reveals that a kg of LPG now sells between N1,100 and N1,200 in gas stations within the FCT. This soaring price has put a lot of households and businesses under pressure. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows a striking increase in the price of cooking gas, with a 55.66% rise recorded over the past year. In July 2024, the average cost to refill a 12.5-kilogram cylinder reached N14,261.57, significantly up from N9,162.11 in July 2023.
Despite what the data shows, resident like Amina Yakub who lives in Kubwa, told Weekend Trust that she prefers using charcoal to cooking with gas because it is affordable. “With just N100 or N200, I can buy charcoal and prepare something for the family,” she noted.
Amina, while calling for efforts to address the price of cooking gas in the country, said: “The government should consider subsidising the initial investment for acquiring cooking equipment such as cylinders and cookers for workers in lower cadres to ease the hardship faced by citizens across the country.”
Firewood, charcoal vendors cashing out
Moses Nduka, a firewood and charcoal vendor in Kubwa told Weekend Trust that he is experiencing significant patronage and that his customer base has surged this year compared to last year.
“A pack of charcoal, which used to be N100, now goes for N200,” he said adding that “though three pieces of firewood go for N150, but people patronise charcoal because it is cheaper and easier to use than firewood.
“Business is booming for me now because I make over N40,000 weekly from selling firewood, while I make over N50,000 from selling charcoal. A bag of charcoal costs N7,000 and my supplier brings firewood every week,” the merchant said.
Unlike Nduka, who receives about 100 bags of charcoal per supply, Kabiru Idris, a firewood dealer in Dusten-Alhaji who has been in the business for over five years, revealed that he buys a truckload of firewood every week to meet the demands of his customers.
“I make more sales now and that is the reason I buy a truck of firewood every Wednesday. Before the week runs out, they’ve been sold, and then I request for fresh supplies. In a month, I make around N200,000 from the firewood business. Sometimes, people park their cars to buy firewood,” he said.
The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) reports that Nigeria loses over 350,000 hectares of forest each year and stresses the urgent need to plant 350 million trees to address deforestation. However, indiscriminate felling of trees continues even though it is illegal in the FCT, according to the Department of Parks and Recreation of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA). The department, in 2021 revealed that anyone caught cutting down trees without permission will be subjected to a fine of N100,000 per tree.
But the warning has not been effective. Both Moses Nduka and Kabiru Idris told Weekend Trust that their suppliers do not encounter any problems when sourcing and delivering the firewood and charcoal because they receive their goods on agreed date.
Speaking to Weekend Trust, Yusuf Rigasa, an environmental expert and the former General Manger, of the Kaduna State Environmental Protection Authority (KEPA), revealed that reckless felling of tress in the forest, especially for firewood has severe repercussion on the environment.
Rigasa explained that cutting down of trees exposes communities and environments to disaster including floods, erosion, landslides, loss of arable soil, low agricultural productivity and hunger.
“Due to the lack of care and enforcement, most of our reserves are either abandoned, encroached or totally sold. Destruction of traditional forests threatens our cultural practices and heritage.
“We need good environmental governance where environmental responsibilities are defined, shared and enforced. The government should involve local communities in forest management decision, ensuring their needs are met while promoting sustainable practices,” he added.
He called for the adoption of alternative energy source like the LPG, solar or biogas and agricultural residues, in a bid to reducing reliance on firewood. He also called for the implementation of responsible forestry practice to ensure that trees are harvested in a way that preserves forest health and enables regrowth.
Firewood, charcoal users risk health complications – Medical expert
The smoke that is emitted from the burning firewood into the air when Aisha Suleiman finally lit a wet pile of wood to prepare dinner for her family could cause her respiratory and cardiovascular problems in the long run.
Dr Ahmed Bello, a medical doctor at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Bida, Niger State, says such smoke emitted by firewood can be detrimental to the health of users such as Aisha. “When firewood users inhale some particulate matter, a form of chemical substance, those tiny particles can penetrate deep into the lungs, enter the bloodstream, and cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems such as asthma, bronchitis, heart attacks, and stroke,” he said.
Dr Bello added that burning firewood releases various pollutants, including carbon monoxide (CO), which can reduce oxygen delivery in the body, leading to headaches, dizziness, nausea, and even death in high concentrations.
“Cooking with firewood and charcoal indoors and outdoors, especially in poorly ventilated areas, can significantly increase the concentration of these pollutants, leading to severe health risks for those exposed, particularly women and children who spend more time near cooking areas,” he warned.
While advising those who must use charcoal to do so outdoors or in a well-ventilated kitchen, he warned that charcoal could contain heavy metals like lead, mercury, and arsenic, which can accumulate in the body over time and lead to neurological problems, kidney disease, and developmental delays in children.
The medical doctor advised Nigerians to switch to cleaner fuels like LPG or electricity, which he said can significantly reduce the health risks associated with charcoal use.