The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) Foundation has provided clean cooking equipment to more than 2,000 residents of Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as part of efforts to reduce dependence on firewood and charcoal and promote cleaner energy sources.

The intervention, which took place on Tuesday at the palace of the Emir of Kuje, Gomo of Kuje, also sought to address the environmental and health consequences of traditional cooking methods, particularly deforestation, household air pollution and prolonged exposure to smoke.

Chairman of the PENGASSAN Foundation and National Treasurer of PENGASSAN, David Owen, said Kuje was deliberately chosen because of the area’s significant contribution to the supply of firewood consumed in Abuja.

He said the foundation was concerned about the environmental consequences of the continued dependence on firewood and charcoal and was seeking to encourage communities to embrace cleaner and greener sources of energy.

“We are here to create awareness for the Kuje people on clean energy and clean cooking gas. We want them to understand why we need to move from charcoal and firewood to renewable and green energy.

“This will help us stop deforestation and encourage environmental friendliness,” he said.

Owen said beneficiaries were provided with cooking stoves and gas cylinders, adding that the initiative formed part of the foundation’s broader community intervention programme across the country.

According to him, similar interventions had been undertaken in other communities, while the foundation was also implementing borehole projects in Kebbi, supporting persons living with disabilities in Warri and renovating schools in different locations.

He said the PENGASSAN Foundation was established last year as part of the association’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and giving back to communities.

“We are not the government, and it is not our responsibility to provide these things. But we feel that if we are earning, we should reach out to the less privileged to make their lives more bearable,” he said.

On her part, the National Treasurer of the PENGASSAN Women Commission and Secretary of the PENGASSAN Foundation, Maryann Ada, said the initiative would particularly benefit women, who bear much of the burden of household cooking.

She said prolonged exposure to smoke from firewood could expose women to health problems, making the transition to cleaner cooking particularly important.

“Women do more of the cooking. When you look at what firewood does to women and their health, you find out that a lot of sicknesses arise from the use of firewood for cooking.

“So today, we have come to empower them. We have come to say no to firewood cooking and give them a better way of cooking so that they can live better lives with their children,” she said.

Ada said the foundation would monitor the distribution of the cooking equipment and engage beneficiaries to assess whether the facilities were being used effectively.

The National Secretary of the PENGASSAN Women Commission, Chidinma Anyanwu, urged beneficiaries to make proper use of the equipment, saying the initiative would help reduce pressure on forests while improving air quality within the community.

She disclosed that the foundation’s interventions were funded through contributions from PENGASSAN members, including deductions from their salaries.

The Gomo of Kuje, HRH Alhaji Dr Haruna Tanko Jibrin, commended the foundation for bringing the initiative to the community, saying it would reduce the hardship and security risks associated with searching for firewood.

The traditional ruler said residents who previously sourced firewood from nearby areas now had to travel between five and 10 kilometres because of development and the depletion of available wood.

“Because of development, people can go as far as five to 10 kilometres before getting wood. So, this has reduced the suffering of our women.

“There is also the security aspect. For a woman to leave here and go five or 10 kilometres in search of firewood is a risk,” he said.

The monarch said the intervention would help improve the welfare of vulnerable residents and reduce some of the pressures associated with poverty and access to cooking fuel.

Beneficiaries also recounted the difficulties associated with dependence on firewood.

One of them, Danladi Sakima, said women searching for firewood in the bush were exposed to dangers, including encounters with scorpions and other hazards.

Another beneficiary, Blessing Elisha, said prolonged exposure to firewood smoke had affected her health, particularly causing swelling of her eyes.

She said cooking with gas was faster, safer and more convenient, adding that the intervention had provided a significant improvement in her household.

The PENGASSAN Foundation said the clean cooking initiative was expected to reduce harmful emissions from firewood and charcoal, limit pressure on forests and improve household health.

The intervention also highlights the intersection between clean energy, women’s welfare, environmental sustainability and community security, particularly in communities where households must travel increasingly long distances to obtain firewood.

The foundation said its clean cooking campaign reflected its commitment to promoting clean energy for today and a better tomorrow.