Jafaru Ahmed
Following reports that about 120 million Nigerians especially women, are vulnerable to dangers associated with firewood smoke, the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) has concluded arrangements to phase-out use of firewood in 240 prisons in the country.
The prison authority use firewood to cook food for inmates and plans to introduce biogas system, as alternative source of energy and curb the feeling of trees.
The Controller- General of Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), Mr. Jafaru Ahmed who spoke during the visit of the Director-General of National Agency for Great Green Wall (NAGGW), Goni Ahmed, noted that felling of trees for firewood portends great danger for the inmates.
He said: “Our forests and streams are drying up due to intense heat, and we have planned to use gas system to cook for 70,000 inmates in our prisons nationwide. We shall stop using firewood. Lagos, Port Harcourt and Enugu prisons are now using gas. This is part of our measure to mitigate the effects of climate change in the country,” he added.
Ahmed further disclosed that 16 prisons are engaging on agriculture to raise seedlings to support desertification programme. “We shall continue to embark on this drive to curtail felling of trees for fire wood,” he said.
Earlier, Ahmed hinted, 138 communities have been identified for tree planting in 11 frontline states, and revealed that Prisons use firewood excessively to cook for its inmates.
Meanwhile, the Department of Climate Change, has begun to share climate change ideas and harmonizing recent discoveries in global warning.
Speaking at a National Climate Change Fair and Exhibition organised by Department of Climate Change, permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr. Shehu Ahmed, said: “We want to showcase the knowledge acquired from international conferences as well as create awareness and to educate the public on issues of climate change.”
Ahmed further said the need to create awareness by engaging the media, inspiring academia and schools on the impacts of climate change cannot be overemphasized and this would create exhibition platform for coordination and synergy among stakeholders.
The Director, DCC, Dr. Yerima Tarfa, had said a lot of work in documenting climate change issues and its vulnerability has been put in place to translate the knowledge into actions and decision-making tools for all sectors to participate, and to engage meaningfully.
He observed that forum would serve as information and gateway to national and global knowledge providing fair access to develop assets on climate change issues and project increases in extreme climatic events as well as more changes in weather panther in the country.
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