A 2018 report by the World Health Organisation indicates that about four million people die every year from diseases related to the use of inefficient cooking practices and a lot of children less than five years old die from pneumonia caused by smoke inhaled from air pollution in the house.
One of the major sources of household air pollution, especially in developing countries, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, is fuel used for cooking as well as heating practices.
Homes from developed countries and many houses in the developing world use electricity, natural gas, or clean Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for cooking, whereas houses in rural communities and some houses of the developing world use biomass fuel for cooking.
In many urban and rural communities in Nigeria, the sources of cooking are still like that obtained in most developing countries.
A Non-Governmental Organisation, Gas To Health Initiative (GTHI) has taken up the gauntlet of matching words with action in ensuring the wide use of LPG by Nigerians.
Its primary targets are those that produce food for most people in the urban and rural areas: food vendors who sell food to low and medium income earners living and working in these areas.
GTHI started its campaign with over 600 local food vendors (Mama Put, Akara/yam fryers, Garri fryers and Mai Suyas) in Abuja, Bauchi, Sokoto, Enugu, Awka and taught them the benefits and safe use of LPG and empowered them with cylinders and industrial single/double burners and all associated gadgets.
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“Our main objective is to improve people’s health by substituting other fuels for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, particularly firewood and kerosene and also to ensure that LPG becomes affordable and competitive as well as safe for consumers and workers,” Engr. Betty Ugona told NAN.
Ugona, who is the Secretary, GTHI Board of Trustees, said that the organisation took up the onerous campaign called “Operation Mama Put/Local Food Vendors Conversion to LP Gas” to change the narrative among these class of Nigerians.
In Abuja, at least more than 200 people, just as in the other states it visited, benefitted from the GTHI programme and were asking for more of the gestures to be extended to other Nigerians.
Mrs Victoria James, who sells food at Dutse Market in the Federal Capital Territory, told NAN that the distribution of more gas to vendors would encourage women to venture into the lucrative food selling business.
“My neighbour, Rejoice, says she won’t wake up very early in the morning again to start cooking like before since she started using the LP Gas to do her cooking.
“She told me that getting more time to sleep from the previous day work has boost her health and given her time to attend to some other family issues,” she said.
Malam Adamu Talle, a tea seller at Wuse Market, also said that seeing the health benefit of the use of LP Gas on their colleagues has made them yearn for such.
“Our chairman was among those given the gas cylinders. In terms of customers, he now serves more people because the time he takes to prepare tea and make noodles has reduced drastically.
“More customers even prefer to go to his stall because there is no smoke like mine,” he said.
Mrs Christians Dim, Chairperson of the FCT Market Women Food Vendors Association, told NAN that her members had benefitted immensely from the GTHI project.
“We thought it was one of those campaign things that politicians use to get our support. Until we saw that these people are serious and ready to give us freedom.
“Most women have seen the advantage of gas use in cooking and seen how it has improved the health and business of beneficiaries,” she said.
Mrs Rejoice Damian, who sells food at Wuse Market, told NAN that the health benefit of cooking with gas far outweighs firewood use or any other sources for now.
“I used to have poor eyesight before. But after using gas in the past six months, it has improved and I no longer use eyeglasses. Again, my skin has lightened up and is glowing not like when I was using firewood.
“It’s just that we need the government to step in and make the gas accessible and affordable so that we will continue to use it without too much stress. Buying firewood cost more because I use about N1,000 daily for firewood while for gas I pay about N6,500 per month,” she said.
*This story was originally published by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
