Abuja administration and IHS push to end firewood cooking

The Federal Capital Territory administration (FCTA) in Abuja is actively working to eliminate the burning of firewood for cooking, a practice contributing to indoor air pollution. As part of a broader initiative called "Project Breathe – Clean Air Abuja," sponsored by IHS Towers of Strength, the administration has distributed over 10,000 free gas cylinders to vulnerable residents.

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Indoor air pollution is a challenge that we normally encounter in our environment, most especially to women and children because they’re the ones always in the closed door, near the kitchen. So all this air pollution that arises as a result of using charcoal and firewood.

Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, the Minister of State for FCT, highlighted the administration's concern over the health challenges posed by indoor air pollution and its environmental impact. Represented by her Special Adviser, Majidda Adamu Kuku, Mahmoud explained that women and children are particularly susceptible as they spend more time indoors, near cooking areas where smoke from charcoal and firewood accumulates.

The initiative, founded two years ago under Minister Barrister Nyesom Wike, seeks to replace firewood and charcoal use with clean gas. Dr. Dolapo She, the Mandate Secretary for Health and Environment Services, noted that many Abuja residents, even in urban areas, still use firewood not necessarily due to affordability but a lack of awareness about its detrimental health and environmental effects. The program has successfully replaced firewood and coal in over 12,500 households.

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We came to realize that a large percentage of the residents of Abuja, even in the metropolis and not only in the suburbs, cook with firewood. This is not because they cannot afford gas, but because they don’t know the side effects and the bad effects of cooking with firewood.

Through "Project Breathe Clean Air – Abuja," the Health and Environment Services Department has conducted outreach across all Area Councils in the FCT, distributing gas cylinders and free gas vouchers. The goal is to foster a cleaner environment and promote healthy living, particularly in rural communities. IHS Nigeria has been a key partner, donating 10,000 gas cylinders to beneficiaries, emphasizing that cooking gas is more cost-effective than charcoal and firewood.

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it’s a project under which IHS Nigeria donated 10,000 gas cylinders to beneficiaries in different local government areas withi