By Femi Oyelola
On 31 August 2021, the Kaduna State Government announced the suspension of the felling of trees for timber, firewood, and charcoal for commercial purposes across seven local government sreas of the state.
The affected local government areas are Birnin Gwari, Igabi, Chikun, Giwa, Kachia, Kauru, Kajuru.
The suspension, according to the then Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, was with immediate effect.
The decision, the Commissioner said, was based on advisories from security agents in the state.
Climate change activists and other citizens alike lauded the decision as they saw it as part of the effort to protect the environment because the process of producing charcoal is dangerous to the climate as it emits harmful fumes that are toxic to the environment and intensify global warming.
However a visit to Katari town along the Abuja -Kaduna Expressway, by Weekend Peoples Daily showed that in a space of 30 minutes, over 10 Gulf cars were counted loaded with charcoal moving towards Kaduna.
Similarly, at Gummel and Crossing in
Kachia Local Government Area of the state, bags of charcoal could be seen on every side of the road being loaded into vehicles moving to different parts of the country.
Investigation hss revealed that this action of felling trees for timber, firewood, and charcoal for commercial purposes has in no small way contributed to the Climate crisis in the state
Kaduna State like many other states in the countries, is facing the harsh realities of climate change, with children and women, the most vulnerable, having to bear the brunt of the adverse effects of the situation.
There is no doubt that the young people are among those most at risk of the impacts of climate change, threatening their health, education and protection, environmental and climate factors such as rising temperatures and droughts negatively affect their welfare and development.
Climate change is defined by the Special Assistant on Climate Change to Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State Yusuf Idris Amoke, as long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns.
Such shifts according to him can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions.
“But human activities like the felling of trees for timber, firewood, charcoal for commercial purposes cutting down trees for urbanization have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
“Burning fossil fuels generate greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures.
“The main greenhouse gases that are causing climate change include carbon dioxide and methane. These come from using gasoline for driving a car or coal for heating a building, for example. Clearing land and cutting down forests can also release carbon dioxide.
“Agriculture, oil and gas operations are major sources of methane emissions. Energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture and land use are among the main sectors causing greenhouse gases”
Amoke said the effects, of climate change can be felt by the vulnerable and children, and women are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change the State Government has recognised this is and putting in place plans to mitigate it through the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and others relevant Ministry.
He stressed that there are some projects that the State is working on to see how it can bring some level of succour to Women, and Children especially those in rural areas.
“We have the aged, the sick, the physically challenged and those with less economic strength that are victims
“The Global South emits fewer gasses into the atmosphere, but receives the burden of the impact of climate change than the Global North because when you have economic stability, you have some level of resilience
“You will be able to resist some of these impacts of climate change because you can build large drainage and have some law and order, where people don’t just turn waste into the drainage, you have a system that works because people respect the system. So it makes the impact of climate change less in such a society.
While here in Africa, in Nigeria and Kaduna State, we are still very far behind and we do not enjoy all of those facilities and that makes us so vulnerable.
Amoke lamented that the use of firewood affects women greatly because apart from cutting down firewood, the smoke from the wood causes ailments related to the lungs and eyes and the Children and Women are at the receiving end.
“Of course, when you talk about Women, you cannot do away with children and the effect of climate change like flooding stops children from going to school and that affects the education of the children and society at large. When there’s flooding, there’s this spread of diseases, waterborne diseases and at the end of the day, you find that women and children are at the receiving end.
“So Kaduna State government is working tirelessly to see that it improves the lives of women and children most especially in the rural and urban areas and also, we are trying to see how we can improve on the cooking conditions.
“You know there’s this energy cooking stove that we are working to partner with other target sectors to see how we can make it available for the women to use.
“The energy-saving stove saves 80 per cent of energy gas than the firewood and that means; if for any reason the woman uses… let’s say 10 pieces of firewood to cook, that energy-saving stove will save 9 out of 10 and she will able to use 1 cooker and by so soon;
“She has reduced the cost of buying the firewood, she has reduced the room for those chopping trees, she has reduced the amount of smoke that comes out from the 10 pieces of wood and also protected herself because the smoke from one wood is just 10 per cent of what 10 kinds of wood would release. So she has saved herself of these Harzard from the smoke.
We are doing a lot of things; this is just one of the many plans that Kaduna State is doing and presently, the Kaduna State government has validated the climate change policy which is on the table of His Excellency, Governor Uba Sani, for his signature. So as soon as he appends his signature and approves, then Kaduna State will now have a climate change policy which is more of a domestication of the National Planning Change Policy and it will be a guiding document that will help in taking some Climate action and see how to protect Women and children from climate change and improving their economic conditions and supporting them wherever it is possible.
Also, it will provide an avenue to attract foreign investors and partners both in renewable energy or the areas of afforestation or forestation as the case may be and the State government is working tirelessly on this.
On the issue of the government prohibiting the use of coal and firewood, It takes one thing to make a policy and it takes another thing to see how you follow up on these policies.
But there are other factors you need to take into consideration. In as much as we actually would not want the use of charcoal, because any charcoal you see is an expression of a tree that has been brought down and we do everything possible to see that trees are not cut down without the permission of the government.
However, if you look at the general economic situation of the country, it becomes very difficult for some of these laws to be enforced because the guys you sent to enforce these laws are also looking for charcoal to use.
Kaduna State does not produce gas or alternative sources of energy. It is now that we are looking at renewable energy and other sources like biofuel that can be an alternative to the energy that people use at home. So it becomes a bit difficult because when there’s no alternative, it becomes difficult to implement these things. So we’re also working to see how we can have this renewable energy, purchasable and affordable to people.
As a commitment by the Kaduna State government, his Excellency signed a partnership with the private sector to produce 70 solar-powered solutions for 70,000 homes of civil servants. That solar source of energy will go a long way in reducing some of the sources they use, like charcoal. In the next phase, we are expecting that more than two million people will benefit from the same product.
We have abundant biofuel that the State government is also looking at how these resources can be tapped into, cause when we have alternative sources of energy, you won’t even have to drive it so much for people to abandon coal and embrace these clean sources of energy.
We are calling on partners, like Save the Children International (SCI), Civil Society, NGOs and the media to support this vision.
Mr Philip Yatai an Abuja-based Journalist premised that children are vulnerable to climate change because of its adverse effects on their physical and mental health, such as increased stress and decreased air and water quality.
He opined that Disease patterns, the increased probability of extreme weather events, agricultural productivity, and food security are all affected by climate change.
Mr Yatai expressed dismay that
Nigeria is ranked second among 33 countries classified as “extremely high-risk”. together with Chad, and just after the Central African Republic (ranked first).
He stressed that Nigerian children are highly exposed to air pollution and coastal floods, but also that investments in social services, particularly child health, nutrition and education can make a significant difference in our ability to safeguard their futures from the impacts of climate change.
Yatai who is from Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna state disclosed that no part of the Country is immune to the effects of climate change hence the need to act now to prevent it from becoming worse and secure the future of the children.
Speaking on the ban on selling Charcoal in the state, said “Don’t be deceived if you did not provide alternative means and cheaper way of cooking that will only be a policy that cannot be enforced
“ On my way from Abuja to Kaduna I lost count of the number of vehicles jam-packed with charcoal because the people must cook their meals”
Mr. Emmanuel Anthony, a restaurant operator at the premises of Kaduna Polytechnic in his response said point blank that women and children are indeed at the receiving end of the effects of climate change.
“Talk about the effects of climate change, and we get a variety of issues but number one is the adaptation to it, even if it does not favour you as a person, saying, a woman who catches the flu due to a cold can easily transmit it to the children and the ailment is very much capable of preventing a child from going to school.
“I don’t support the government passing a law that prohibits the sale of charcoal, I don’t support it. Yes, they have the citizen’s interest but when you think of what is happening now, you know better, than to allow sleeping dogs to lie.
“ Most people just want to get food in their stomach, some don’t even care by what means.
“Charcoal and firewood are more affordable. You get gas for at least one thousand naira per kg and with that same money, you can get lots of coal and firewood.
“So, I don’t think the government considered the masses because the poor would be the most affected.
On the other hand, if they want such a policy to work, there must be a stronger, disciplined action plan to enforce it. I recall in the past administration of Muhammadu Buhari, the law was to go back to the farm but many refused to comply when he closed the borders, we all had no choice but to cooperate with it and return to farming.
“So if they wish to effect the policy that bans the sale of charcoal or cutting down of trees to boost forestation, then they should come up with a good active plan that can push the people to comply and adapt to the new change.
“I support the law of farm owners planting one or two trees, that will help a lot and I also suggest that people should be encouraged to engage in small vegetables or fruit farming in their home environment. It keeps the area green.
Corroborating this, a student Dorcas Thomas opined that the idea of banning the sale of charcoal might not work.
Charcoal, according to her, is one thing that has helped us as students, it is easy to get and affordable. How much is kerosene or even gas?
“ Electric stove is not an option with the issue of unstable light. So, I don’t think the idea will be welcomed by many.
“Of course, there are negative effects to the use of firewood like the smoke but these women are used to it already on the other hand, it can work if the government is willing to provide a better, cheaper and easy-to-get alternative than this firewood and charcoal.
Similarly, Favour Andrew aforesaid that she grew up knowing firewood as a good means of cooking, it is what my mother uses and I’m sure other women do too.
“ So this new policy is like a fight with the mothers (Smiles,) because they cook faster with it, forget the smoke. If they want to cook for a hundred people, firewood is effective and the food is a joy to the stomach.
“As for the effect, I can’t relate to it because I’m asthmatic so, I can’t help out due to the smoke. Then cough can also be caused by the smoke plus the dirty environment it creates with stains and black dust. But the government can give the policy a try, let’s see how it goes.”
However, Rhoda Ndaji, Media and Communications Manager of Save the Children International Nigeria (SCI) said her organization works round the clock to help children and their communities adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis.
Rhoda Ndaji premised that extreme
temperatures leave many families living in poverty with less food, less clean water, lower incomes and worsening health.
Children she stressed are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change due to their dependence on caregivers and their immature physiology and Kaduna state is no exception
Ndahi explained that Children in households that are dependent on agriculture are most susceptible to chronic malnutrition resulting from climate change
“Our Humanitarian Climate Change Initiative is pushing to sustain and scale up child-centred anticipatory action systems globally. “ We partner with communities to use early warning systems and pre-position funds so they have the tools and resources to take action before they are hit by devastating climate events
“That is why we need people like you from the media to help in creating awareness about what this monster called climate change is doing to our children”
Also, Dr Ahmed Abdullahi of Malali Hospital said the dangers of climate change on children are more real than presumable because the crisis has exposed them to many negative effects which include Malnutrition health issues and affecting their education.
He said it is sad climate change is demeaning life out of Nigerian children and everyone looks the other way” We have a problem in our hands and we must wake up from our slumbers and join Partners like Save the Children to fight the common enemy,” he said.
