Nasarawa State Government on Tuesday began the distribution of free cooking gas to 13,000 rural women across the state as part of their efforts to check hazardous emissions.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen, while flagging off the exercise in Lafia, said it was the first phase of the National Cooking Gas project and Tree planting initiative of President Muhammadu Buhari.
She also noted that the President had directed the supply of cooking gas cylinders to 1,000 rural women in each of the 774 local government areas across the country.
According to Tallen, this particular project will be carried out in three phases across the country.
Tallen said:
“According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), emission from cooking stoves kills about 4.3 million people annually through air pollution and indoor smoke inhalation causing respiratory diseases and death.
“This event is to create awareness and sensitise the public, particularly women and other stakeholders, on the effect of using firewood for cooking.
“It is also to sensitise them on the health and environmental problems associated with cooking with firewood, and to introduce the women to the use of alternate clean stoves,’’
Also she announced the commencement of the economic tree planting exercise as an effort towards addressing the effects of deforestation and climate change.
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“This is also in line with Mr President’s pledge at the United Nations General Assembly session in 2019 to plant 25 million trees within one year,’’ she said.
She advised the state, local government areas and civil society organisations to support federal government effort to scale down the project to the various communities.