Smoke emanating from firewood used for cooking is the third greatest
killer of women and children in Nigeria, statistics from the World Health
Organisation, WHO, has revealed.
The organization said that 93, 300 deaths occur in Nigeria as a result
of smoke from traditional biomass stoves.
"After malaria and HIV/AIDS, smoke is the biggest killer of mostly
women and children.
"In addition to this health problem, traditional biomass stoves
burn 90 per cent more wood than is necessary. This has cost poor families and
institutions money that could be put to better use on education, health, and
nutrition," the global health body said.
Also, an estimated 72 per cent of Nigeria's population depend solely on
firewood for cooking, a non-governmental organisation, the International Centre
for Energy and Environmental Development, ICEED, also said.
The Executive Director of the Centre, Ewah Eleri, said this in an
interview in Abuja on Tuesday.
Mr. Eleri said that access to sustainable modern, affordable and
reliable energy services was a fundamental prerequisite for poverty reduction
and sustainable human development.
He said that energy services had impacted on all aspects of people's
lives and livelihoods, adding that the lack of access to it constrained people
to a life of poverty.
The director also noted that 20 per cent of the global population
lacked access to electricity while 40 per cent relied on traditional use of
biomass for cooking.
"The UN estimates that if nothing is done by 2030, 900 million
people would not have access to electricity, and three billion will still cook
with traditional fuels.
"Thirty million people would have died due to smoke-related
diseases; just many hundreds of millions will be confined to poverty due to the
lack of access to energy.
"Countries like China have connected 500 million people to
electricity in rural areas since 1990, while Vietnam has increased coverage
from five per cent to 98 per cent in 35 years."
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