Use of firewood, charcoal kill 98,000 Nigerian women annually- Expert

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Gas 360, Emmanuel Uwandu on Friday revealed that over 98,000 Nigerian women die annually from the use of firewood and charcoal.

Uwandu added that about 21,000 women die annually from the usage in the Niger Delta.

He stated this in his keynote presentation during the 20,000 metric tonnes of Liquified Petroleum Gas Depot Project ceremony organised by Windek Energy Limited held at Atabrikang Aquaha Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

He revealed further that cooking with firewood and charcoal is equivalent to smoking 20 packages of cigarettes, noting that such is what Nigerian women go through on a daily basis.

Uwandu said, “Cooking with firewood, and charcoal is equivalent to smoking 20 packages of cigarettes For an average smoker that is too much, that is what women in Nigeria have to deal with daily.

“In Nigeria 98, 000 women die annually from the use of firewood and charcoal and across the 774 local governments that translates to about 2,700 deaths annually.

“In Niger Delta alone 21, 000 women die from the use of firewood and charcoal. If we bring that home to Akwa Ibom State 31 Local governments 75 women die every year from the use of firewood and charcoal”.

While noting that cooking with ‘dirty’ fuel is the highest killer, the MD lamented that attention is given to malaria and HIV Aids while nobody is talking about dirty fuel.

“Today, in Nigeria, cooking with dirty fuel is the highest killer of Nigerians but for some reason malaria and HIV get the attention, and nobody talks about cooking with dirty fuel. Globally, 4.6bn dollars was provided to fight against malaria and HIV for Nigeria but clean cooking receives less than 200 million dollars, we have to do more” He stated as reported by the Punch.