IMAGINE!!! FG to buy N9.2bn cooking stoves for women

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the purchase of
N9.2bn worth of cooking stoves and 'wonder bags' for rural women
under the National Clean Cooking Scheme.
Wonder bag is a non-electric slow cooker invented by Sarah Collins, a
South African eco-entrepreneur, who came up with the idea of
surrounding the pan with cushions six years ago during a power cut in
her country.
The council also awarded a contract of N60.9bn to an indigenous firm,
KaKatar CE Limited, for the provision of engineering infrastructure
for Kyami District, Zone C, in Abuja.
The Supervising Minister of Information, Dr. Nurudeen Muhammed, and
his counterparts in the environment ministry and the Federal Capital
Territory, Mrs. Lawrecia Mallam and Bala Muhammed respectively,
briefed State House correspondents at the end of FEC, which was
presided over by Vice President Namadi Sambo.
Muhammed said the N9.2bn, inclusive of Value Added Tax, was approved
for the procurement of 750,000 units of clean cooking stoves and
18,000 wonder bags.
He said the stoves were expected to be delivered by Messrs Integra
Renewable Energy Services Limited within a period of 12 weeks.
Muhammed noted that the stoves, to be assembled locally, would provide
jobs for Nigerians, among other benefits.
The minister said, "The National Clean Cooking Scheme is an aggressive
drive to engender clean cooking culture amongst the poor rural women,
to reduce and possibly eliminate cooking with solid fossil which is
detrimental to health.
"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.
"It will also reduce incessant felling of trees, which exposes the
country to ecological problems.
"Furthermore, additional benefit to Nigeria in switching over to this
technology by the rural households is the carbon credits arising from
the registration by the UNFCCC. The country stands to gain 50 per cent
subsidy of the price through the generated carbon credits."
He added that the government would be above aboard in distributing the
items to ensure that political consideration was not considered in
determining the beneficiaries.
He explained further that all women groups in the country were
involved in the scheme from conception to the level of awarding the
contract.
He said the instrumentalities of the participating groups would be
used to distribute the items.
Shedding more light on the contract, the Minister of Environment said
in deciding the rural women that would benefit from the free stoves,
the government would give preference to the about two million female
farmers that are currently procuring fertilisers through e-wallet and
another two million women already registered by a non-governmental
organisation.
She described cooking with firewood as a silent killer hence the need
for the government to come to the aid of the rural women.
Please my people is this what nigeria needs now?? Drop your comment