The Federal Executive Council has approved N9 billion for the procurement of cooking stoves and wonder bags for free distribution to the poor.
Vice President Namadi Sambo, presided over the Wednesday Cabinet meeting which ratified President Goodluck Jonathan’s anticipatory approval for the scheme.
The Supervising Minister of Information, Nurudeen Mohammed who briefed State House correspondents, said 750,000 units of clean cooking stoves and 18,000 wonder bags would be procured under the National Clean Cooking Scheme.
According to the minister, the scheme is expected to provide 20 million clean stoves over a five-year period at the rate of four million stoves per annum which will be distributed free of charge.
Mohammed said the scheme is an aggressive drive targeted at promoting clean cooking culture amongst the poor rural women, to eliminate cooking with solid fossil which is detrimental to health.
He also explained that it will reduce incessant felling of trees which exposes the country to ecological problems.
“Additional benefit to Nigeria in switching over to this technology by the rural households is the carbon credits arising from the registration by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The country stands to gain 50 per cent subsidy of the price through the generated carbon credits.
“Council noted that these stoves will be locally assembled and provide jobs to Nigerians among other benefits and unanimously ratified Mr. President’s anticipatory approval for the contract in favours of Messrs Integra Renewable Energy Services Limited in the sum of N9,287,250,000.00 inclusive of VAT, with a delivery period of 12 weeks.
“We are going to distribute irrespective of political affiliation. This government has demonstrated that it is above board in partisan politics, it will be distributed equitably to women in this country,” Mohammed said.
On the Wonder bag, he said it is a non-electric slow cooker invented by Sarah Collins, a South African eco-entrepreneur, who came up with the idea six years ago during a power cut, when she decided to keep her dinner cooking by surrounding the pan with cushions.
Each Wonder bag can prevent the emission of half a ton of carbon dioxide a year, and could save a poor family a tenth of their income by cutting fuel costs, the scientists assured.
