By Adamu Shehu Imam
Mohammed Ya'aribe, a climate change expert has identified lack of awareness and low technology advancement to combat climate change as a major challenge in many environment and women homes in Nigeria.
He said the impact of climate change is enormous that affects women's domestic activities by extension indiscriminate felling of trees, for instance, it causes global warming, and he added that women using firewood with combustible materials such as plastics, at homes for cooking resulted in health risks on them and environmental hazard.
Ya'aribe noted that, "using those materials releases hurt and gas emission while polluting the environment as a result of climate change, although now even the firewood is so scarce and very hard to get, despite all these challenges associated."
He further maintained that, in an effort to fight the climate change research shown biogas technology was discovered to mitigate climate changes through the use of waste product such as refused, cow dung saying the initiative is a welcome development to address these challenges of domestic health risk on women by home cooking"
The expert continues that, "initiatives are well recognized to change from the old tradition of cooking energy and it helps reduce the tendency of felling of trees around and make charcoal as well".
Noting that cow dung can give more methane, emphasized that thrash can be used to give energy for cooking through biogas technology and reduce spending as well.
He called for a bio-digester biogas chamber that can be participated locally and produced, to melt them and give out the biogas readily for women at homes for cooking.
He noted that "biogas technology has multiple benefits associated with women's activities, so he reiterated that using refuse as a source of gas energy for women at homes is the combination of all trash found at refuse, two major important now your home refused metamorphosed and recycle to give energy.
“One of the challenges is the cost of buying a bio-digester chamber, so now we advise women to key in and embrace this technology drive by practicing the use of biogas instead of burning firewood to cook on every passing day.
“The biogas has no smoke that will prevent women at homes from using it and it also helps reduce the activity of felling trees, unnecessary deforestation within the communities and after that, women can use the ash after cooking as fertilizer in their farms as well.”
He further maintained, "using biogas also helps check environmental sanitation, the house would be clean at all times because trash is always available in various homes to recycle them through this process of using biogas technology".
The technical know-how is also posing a challenge on women at home, that is why we are sensitizing them whenever we meet them, in a nutshell that's how biogas technology would help check or combat issues associated with climate change in our various homes.
So also environmental expert Mohammed Ya'aribe during an exclusive meeting with selected community, and religious leaders in Bauchi local government area, held at the Bauchi state agricultural development program BSADP, supported to create awareness on the use of low-cost biogas technology.
Moreso, during one of the engagement for using biogas technology organizers reminded that the end product of biogas which comprises west product and refused dump with biodigester is free of charge for all the benefiting communities, as according to them, 250 women are expected to benefit from the biogas technology initiative in the state as part of effort to address climate change on rural women.
They also said the effort is to improve the livelihood of women in two Bauchi, and Dass local government areas of the state, hoping to reach all the remaining LGAs soon.
Hajiya Marka Abbas, the national public relations officer representing Bauchi women groups, says the significance is to create awareness for women to change and embrace technological advancement through the use of biogas as an alternative for domestic cooking to address climate change in their environment.
"For this town hall meeting we are targeting 50 people from Dass and 50 from Bauchi local government areas and these people comprises of traditional leaders religious leaders women and youth so that they can get awareness for other people that are not here"
Abbas explained further "we appreciate the effort of sponsors and we continue to lobby for other women so that they can get from all other local governments they are doing the pilot testing in Dass and Bauchi, and we are hoping to extend to all twenty 20 local governments areas"
She maintained that, each person we invited here has more than one hundred people, so we want them to enlighten others at their community levels
Moreso, Fatima Usman Bauchi state coordinator of women groups said women can start cooking while doing other home activities without any stress, so the initiative will definitely help Bauchi women immensely, "and that biogas will help reduce environmental challenges through and the west would transform into organic fertilizer for our farming activities even at homes" .
While traditional leaders during the town hall meeting assured of their commitment to champion the course of women especially in the area of using technological advancement for the entire women development in the state.
They maintained that, is not going to be expensive because people will run from expensive to amore cheaper energy in terms of cooking.
Some participants at the town hall meeting make some observations on the way people should operate and handle the alternative biogas technology for the sustainability of the initiative, while appreciate the advanta
Women in Bauchi state have been tasked to use the advantage of biogas technology and source information that would help them in the fight against poverty in their matrimonial homes while fighting climate change.
The task was handed down to them during a sensitization campaign of rural women on the need to use alternative methods of home cooking to be empowered and help reduce waste of energy at homes
In the same vein, another training initiative a tagged 'Capacity Building and Sensitization for Rural Women and literacy on Biogas Technology, to address climate change
Other experts agreed that using information technology in this century is the best way for sustainable women initiatives that will reduce hardship in many homes and communities as a whole.
While, representative of the Ministry of Women Affairs Bauchi State, Gender desk officer Esther Patrick shortly after the women sensitization awareness meeting on climate change assured of Bauchi state collaboration through the ministry of women affairs in making sure that all women have use the advantage of the energy drive, especially for teaming rural women across Bauchi state.
"Esther added that, the sponsors have been in the state since 2020 and they came in with project women peace and security WPS, resolutions 1325 on how women can partake in decision making in her home at LGA and state levels, so they come in again with women face to see they can give hope for the hopeless and less privileged women again would give a little relief for our husbands on buying firewood, gas, and we know the economy and things is very high now"
By teaching them how to use cow dung to produce biogas it will reduce the tension. It will reduce women asking husbands for firewood as it also risks their health with smoke in the kitchen so it would help, it is cheap, affordable and accessible, that is the biogas, she stressed.
"So this program came at the right time when we women suffering's the climatic condition need it, by using it buying gas would not be a problem because already we have the natural one at home"
At the sensitization, Madina Raji commended and appreciated the women groups for their foresight while stressing the importance of women to be reminded that they are catalysts for social change, and it is imperative for them to take advantage of emerging technologies like biogas to help fight poverty and climate change.
Madina Raji a financial literacy expert says the major challenge of women today, is the lack of information.as well
"I am here to educate women on financial literacy especially on borrowing, the right of borrowers and the responsibilities of them and know how to apply for loans basically we have them guidelines how to go about accessing loans and the interest rate, when this loans are checked, the payment of the loans and the relationship with the banks to have a successful ending" She said.
Malama Hadiza, one of the participants commended the groups for their effort towards improving the living condition of rural women through biogas technology initiatives saying the gesture is timely.
Hadiza maintained that, "For instance like me now I used to buy firewood for cooking at least a portion is 280 naira, I will use two to cook for the family, and if I decided to use charcoal, I will spend not less than eight hundred naira per day, so this initiative is a welcome development for us"
Stakeholders also continue that, although women in Nigeria make up a significant portion of the population, they sadly remain behind, hence the need for them to be given priority attention at all times to fight climate change at domestic level.
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