BY AMUCHE AGBO
Mrs Umahi gave the charge when the International cetntre for Energy and Environment Development (ICEED) paid her a courtesy visit in her office, old Government house, Abakaliki.
The governor's wife represented by the State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Debora Chinwe Okah appreciated the team for the initiative and described their visit as a welcome development.
Mrs Umahi who lamented on the increase of climate change in the society presently, advised women and girls to abstain from cooking inefficiently owing to its negative effects but rather go for clean and efficient cooking stoves, saying that her office would host a one day Ebonyi State clean cooking forum where stakeholders, religious, community and traditional leaders would be moblized to ensure full implementation.
She expressed satisfaction about the propose Ebonyi State Clean Cooking Programme and assured that her office would partner with ICEED towards actualizing the dream.
However, Mrs Umahi who lauded the people for their tireless efforts in ensuring that the state champions clean cooking, added that the measure would guarantee the safety and lives of Ebonyi women and girls.
In his mission statement, the Executive Director of ICEED, Ewah Otu Eleri represented by Osamede Precious Onuvae, a Research Associate revealed that over 122 million Nigerians depend primarily on fire woods for cooking, adding that not less than 20 million people are still suffering from the crisis.
He lamented that deforestation and increase in cooking with fire woods by women and girls have worsen the impact of climate change.
He noted that climate change affects both men and women especially the poor in the rural part of the country, pointing that apart from HIV/AIDS, smoke from kitchen has been one of the silent killer of Nigerians, and added that over 93,000 people die annually from indoor air pollution.
According to Ewah, "clean cooking remains the best option towards reducing the sufferings of the people from the dangers of smoke."
He further stated, the Proposed Ebonyi State Clean Cooking programme targeted to provide safety, clean cooking energy and stoves to over 13 thousand households with small businesses and health institutions within 2 years as well as producing clean stoves and creating jobs opportunities to reduce condition of emission among women and engaging them skillfully, stating that the measure would help to alleviate pressure in the forest.
Ewah enumerated the goals of the programme to include provision of 130,000 Ebonyi house holds with clean cooking, training of women and youths in all the 13 local government areas in the state on production of stoves, thereby making Ebonyi, the industrial hub for the production of clean cook stoves.
The representative of the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Gabriel Igwe applauded Mrs. Umahi for hosting them and lamented on the impacts of emission from unclean cooking energy on women and environment and expressed his office support to Umahi's wife towards achieving the state clean cooking programme.
The Coordinator of Family Succor and Upliftment Foundation, Evangelist Chukwuma Elom said "the state clean cooking programme would create job opportunities, clean environment and good health among Ebonyi women and girls."
In her vote of thanks, the special assistant to Umahi's wife, Engr. Stephanie Ekuma Nkama thanked all the participants for their contributions towards the programme and expressed optimism that Mrs. Umahi would run it with a laudable initiative.
The visit attracted civil society organizations, non governmental organizations, neighborhood initiative for women advancement (NIWA), representative from Ministry of Women and Social Development, Health among others.
