Controversy over clean cook stove unnecessary – Minister

Minister of Environment Mrs. Laurentia Mallam has said that the controversy surrounding the recent contract awarded by the Federal Executive Council to Integra Renewable Energy Services Limited to supply 750,000 clean cook stoves and 18,000 wonder bags at the cost of N9.6 billion was uncalled for.
But participants and members of the Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cookstoves unanimously agreed that the federal government should use the N9.6 billion to stimulate local production of cylinders and cook stoves.
This, according to them, would trigger private sector investments and create jobs. Rather than “Spending this huge amount of money on free stoves, this fund should be used to provide low or no interest loans to investors, support the expansion of LPG infrastructure and create public awareness on the benefits of clean cooking. The N9.6 billion should form the basis for launching a household energy fund and removal of duties and VAT on household energy equipment,” they said.
Mallam who made the statement while opening a clean cooking energy expo and conference in Abuja noted that the decision to procure the stoves was based on government determination to protect the forest and save the lives of women.
“The decision of government to award the contract for the stoves has been criticized by many; we have seen different write-ups and opinions on the issue but all that is not necessary because we have to consider the forest we are losing annually and the number of women dying annually as a result of using firewood. It is not acceptable for a woman to die while cooking for her household,” the minister said.
She said that government got involved in the stove issue because of the benefits that women would derive from it as well as cushion the impact of climate change on Nigerians.
According to her, continuous deforestation in search of firewood was exposing the country to the vulnerabilities of climate change.
The stove, the minister said, would be distributed via the office of the first lady in each state of the federation as well as through faith-based and non-governmental organisations.
Besides supporting the private sector to grow the market for clean cooking energy, stakeholders proposed approaches to enhancing the demand for clean cooking energy products.
According to Christine K, the Country Director of the Heinrich Boell Foundation, a German international environmental NGO, “seeing is believing. We need pilot projects at state and community levels. Let people see that clean cook stoves save money, their health and their environment. Let people see these stoves at work in their neighbourhood. This can be more important than jingles and large scale adverts,” she recommended.
The partners resolved to strengthen the Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cookstoves as a pressure group to interface with government. They insisted that the voice of the industry must be heard for any new government initiative to be effective.
Mr Ewah Otu Eleri, Coordinator, Nigerian Alliance for Clean CookStoves said that government’s call to the private sector to be part of efforts to save women from indoor smoke-related deaths was a welcome development.
“Nigeria loses over 100,000 women and children annually from indoor smokes occasioned by the use of firewood as a source of energy for cooking and the Alliance has been working to bring this to an end,” he said.