ABUJA – With less than 78 hours to the expiration of the present administration, the Federal Government on Tuesday flagged off distribution of N5 billion clean cooking stoves for rural women across the country.
The clean stove was launched by Vice President Namadi Sambo in the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja. He said that the stoves were meant to reduce desertification in the country.
He said the stoves will also boost job creation and reduce smoke related diseases among the rural women.
The vice president said: “One of the global problems today is environmental problem. Desertification in Nigeria is one of our major environmental problems and the major cause is the cutting down of the trees and using the wood as a source of energy for cooking.
“Mr. President graciously approved for the initial take-off under the Environmental Ministry with the sum of N9 billion to procure these cooking utensils and distribute it all over the country to our women. And by so doing, contributes to stopping the usage of trees for firewood for cooking. In addition to that, it has added value of saving women from inhaling the smoke, which is responsible for the yearly death of about 90,000 women.
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“We believe this is a very important contribution towards arresting desertification in Nigeria”, he said.
The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laraba Malam in her remarks, disclosed that only 15 percent of the N5 billion amounting to N1.3 billion has been paid to the contractor for all the supplies so far made.
She said: “We have only paid 15 percent to the contractor and he has supplied. There is no controversy about the cost of the contract. The truth is that Mr. President and the Federal Executive Council approved N9 billion for 750,000 pieces of the clean stove.
“Meanwhile N5 billion was released to the Ministry and the Ministry following due process gave him 15 percent, which is N1.3 billion and he has supplied”, he said.
According to her, the stoves would be distributed through the Ministry of Environment in every state of the federation and the local governments.
On whether there would be continuity on the project under the incoming government, she said: “I don’t see any government terminating it. I want to believe that the incoming government will continue because government is all about continuity.”
The prices of the stoves locally assembled in Nigeria ranges between N3,000 and N36,000.
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