Gas utilisation: The road not taken

A few days ago, the Lagos State Government marked its annual Tree Planting Day. This is an annual ritual, celebrated to encourage the populace to plant trees to protect the environment.

The exercise often reminds one of the gallant struggles of the environmentalist, Wangari Maathai, to save the environment from degradation. Her persistent campaign was to make her the first African woman to win Nobel Peace Prize.

Maathai, who died of cancer on September 26, 2011, put her name on world the map, using her Green Belt Movement to push her campaign to enthrone a healthy and sustainable environment in her native Kenya. It does appear however, that the vision espoused by the celebrated academic has died with her.

But knowingly or unknowingly, the Lagos State Government seems to be pushing the vision of Professor Maathai by marking the annual tree planting campaign.

It is an event that ought to catch national attention but it is not. This is quite unfortunate in this day and age when the issue of the environment should be at the centre of every discourse.

Flagging off the campaign at an elaborate ceremony in Lagos recently, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode told residents of the state to embrace the culture of tree planting, describing tree planting as the cheapest and simplest option to preserve the “lungs of the earth’’.

According to him, the impact of climate change, particularly the depletion of the ozone layer calls for all hands to be on deck. The governor, subsequently, appealed to Lagos residents to embrace tree planting as a way of life to restore the dignity of the earth. He revealed that over 5.9 million trees had been planted in the state since the government embraced the campaign.

The figure looks good if other states in the federation had shown similar zeal and commitment. What Governor Ambode did not mention was the fact that hundreds of the planted trees are usually cut daily for various economic reasons as soon as the planted trees grow to maturity.

More often than not, the trees find their way to various kitchens as firewood or charcoal. Herein lies the irony of the annual tree planting campaigns. Nobody has calculated the huge funds expended each season to celebrate the event in Lagos State and other states in the federation.

In all these, there is obviously a road not yet taken by government in discouraging the environmental degradation caused largely by the incessant cutting of trees for firewood, charcoal or for other uses.

One such measure is for government to popularize the use of Liquefied Pressure Gas (LPG), popularly known as cooking gas as a veritable source of domestic energy. If greater segment of the population embraces cooking gas, cutting of trees for firewood will be systematically be curbed and environmental degradation reasonably checked. LPG usage is the way to go in this day and age.

For over a decade, Techno Oil and other companies have embarked on measures to promote the use of cooking gas in households in Nigeria. In particular, Techno Oil has launched the Going Green Initiative, to make more people in the country to embrace cooking gas.

The Going Green advocacy has been adopted as a key element in the corporate social responsibility programmes of Techno Oil.

Our goal is to encourage Nigerian households to embrace LPG rather than continuing to depend on firewood and charcoal for cooking needs. It is a known fact that LPG is cleaner, safer and even more affordable compared to firewood and charcoal.

Nigeria has the largest reserve of gas in Africa but this nation of about 170 million people, the largest in Africa, has the lowest cooking gas consumption rate, compared with many other emerging economies around the globe.

In comparative terms, adoption of LPG currently stands at 10 per cent in Nigeria while Ghana has 45 per cent adoption level. Senegal stands at 40 per cent while Brazil has 90 per cent adoption rate.

Nigeria’s standing is even more laughable compared with countries such as Togo and neighbouring Benin Republic. This does not have to be so with Nigeria.

The huge gas reserve in Nigeria should be a factor that should compel the Federal Government to put measures in place to make more Nigerian households to embrace cooking gas. This will automatically make more people to abandon firewood and charcoal. The environment will be better for this and so will the economy.

When more households start using LPG, the rate of cutting trees for firewood will decrease. Besides, using kerosene for cooking will also become unattractive because of the ever increasing cost of kerosene. Government will subsequently, spend less money on importing the commodity.

Everybody stands to gain because the foreign exchange that hitherto is spent on importation of the commodity has to be put to other uses. It becomes logical, therefore, to suggest that government should direct its agencies such as the National Orientation Agency, ministry of information and other related agencies to mount campaigns to make Nigerians to embrace the use of cooking gas.

Government should also introduce incentives to encourage investors to go into LPG ventures. Such incentives should include removal of multiple taxation for investors; creating the enabling environment for business and introducing measures that would make the cost of cooking gas affordable for every Nigerian household. I *Nkechi Obi is the Executive Vice-Chair of Techno Oil Ltd and President of Women in LPG Group.

In fact, it may not be out of place for government to provide gas cylinders to households at no cost to the households. Users of the cylinders will only contend with refilling the cylinders. Some companies have introduced gas stoves that have been found useful for low-budget situations.

The more number of people using use such facilities, the better for the environment. Wangari Maathai started a campaign that Nigeria should capitalize on to create and sustain an environment that generations unborn will be proud of. Lagos State and other states in Nigeria should intensify the campaign to safeguard the environment by enlisting in the campaign to popularize cooking gas.

This is a path that should be should taken by government and non-governmental bodies. Everyone should embrace LPG. This is the way to go. How the present administration handles the issue of the environment will to a large extent determine the shape of things to come in the near future. The time to turn the corner in LPG use in Nigeria is now! *Nkechi Obi is the Executive Vice-Chair of Techno Oil Ltd and President of Women in LPG Group.