By Hussaini Yero The National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) has called on Zamfara State residents to embrace clean cooking syste...
By Hussaini Yero
The National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) has called on Zamfara State residents to embrace clean cooking systems to reduce the use of firewood and charcoal for cooking.
The Head of the Administration Department of the Agency, Mr. Nasiru Isma’il, made this call during a visit to the Gusau Emir's Palace and primary and secondary schools in Gusau, the state capital. This visit was part of the agency's activities to mark Great Green Wall Day 2024.
The theme for the day is “Fueling a Greener Future: Clean Cooking for Sustainable Development.”
Isma'il emphasized that the agency is tasked with combating desertification and land degradation in eleven states in Northern Nigeria.
“Today, we are promoting the use of cleaner cooking stoves as part of our mandate to combat deforestation and ensure sustainable cooking practices,” he said. “We emphasize the use of cooking gas, which helps preserve our trees for the future of our environment. Trees are crucial environmentally, economically, and socially. We urge our people to adopt gas cooking stoves to reduce the use of firewood and charcoal.”
In response, the Emir of Gusau, Alhaji Ibrahim Bello, called for collective action against climate change and assured support for government policies and programs promoting tree planting.
“I commend you for initiating projects to reduce tree felling to save the environment. We will continue to support you. Efforts like these, which reach stakeholders at the grassroots, help people understand the significant impact of deforestation on climate change,” the Emir said.
Alhaji Garba Dauran, the Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, expressed the state government's commitment to combating deforestation under Governor Dauda Lawal.
“The state government plans to distribute 4,500 clean cooking stoves to the people of the state as part of its commitment to reducing firewood use for cooking,” Dauran said.
He assured the state government's continued support and collaboration with the agency to achieve the Agroclimatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project.
The State Field Officer of the Agency, Alhaji Sani Muhammad, noted that the delegation had also visited schools for outreach programs.
“We visited Ibrahim Gusau Special Model Primary School and Government Girls’ Arabic Secondary School in Gusau, where we interacted with the students and promoted the use of clean cooking systems instead of firewood,” he said.
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