Natural Gas Costs Force Nigerians Back to Wood Cooking Fuel
2021-11-12
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1Nigerians have been lining up to buy Adunni Abdul's black-eyed peas called moimoi in a market in Lagos for more than 10 years.
2Five years ago, she started to cook them in leaves using liquid petroleum gas (LPG).
3That does not cause a lot of black smoke.
4She had stopped using wood and charcoal after a campaign to improve public health.
5Now, the high prices for gas have forced Abdul and many like her back to burning wood and charcoal and smelling smoke.
6"Gas is costly, that is why I am using firewood," she told Reuters.
7She explained that LPG had helped her breathe more easily and cooked her food faster.
8Burning LPG releases around 50 percent less carbon than charcoal.
9It also releases 20 percent less carbon gasses than heating oil.
10Switching to the gas from wood is a central proposal for carbon reduction plans in Africa's most populous nation.
11Nigeria is home to more than 200 million people.
12President Muhammadu Buhari commented on cleaner cooking in his recent speech at the United Nations climate meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.
13But LPG prices have risen by 60 percent over the past year in Nigeria's biggest city of Lagos.
14Inflation there is very high and unemployment is rising.
15Many women like 73-year-old Abdul spend hours inside cooking areas or at roadside cooking stands.
16They believe they have no choice but to burn wood or charcoal although it damages their health and harms forests.
17Nigeria's LPG use did not increase in 2020 after nearly 10 years of growth, according to the World LPG Association.
18In 2018, five percent of Nigerians used LPG for cooking while 73 percent depended on charcoal or biomass like wood.
19Those are the latest numbers from the United Nations International Energy Agency.
20Lagos charcoal seller Jerry Inyang said he now sells as many as 90 packs of charcoal a day.
21Three times the amount last year.
22Also, household demand for LPG began falling in 2020, according to the World LPG Association.
23Information for 2021 is not yet available.
24The Nigeria LPG Association (NLPGA) said the country is at risk of losing the gains it has made in natural gas use.
25Felix Ekundayo is deputy president of the NLPGA.
26He said a lack of energy supplies has led to an increase in prices for U.S., European and Middle Eastern LPG.
27He said prices are near a seven-year high and are behind Nigeria's rising prices.
28Nigeria is a major oil producer and a member of OPEC, the organization for oil-exporting countries.
29But it lacks the industrial ability to process the oil.
30Nigeria burns off large amounts of natural gas every year.
31Ekundayo said the falling value of the country's currency and a recently added 7.5 percent tax on LPG imports has increased prices further.
32The NLPGA has called on the government to withdraw the tax, which was added to make money for the government.
33At the same time, gasoline subsidies cost the state billions of dollars.
34Ekundayo said supporting the dirtier fuel, while taxing LPG, breaks a promise to reduce carbon gasses.
35"The time at which gas is displacing other dirty fuel, that is not the time to have inconsistent policy," Ekundayo said.
36Spokesmen for Buhari and the Petroleum Ministry did not comment on the tax.
37Abdul is also hoping LPG prices ease.
38The smoke from the wood fire hurts her chest, and she wants to use gas again.
39"I want the government to help and reduce this," she said.
40I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1Nigerians have been lining up to buy Adunni Abdul's black-eyed peas called moimoi in a market in Lagos for more than 10 years. 2Five years ago, she started to cook them in leaves using liquid petroleum gas (LPG). That does not cause a lot of black smoke. 3She had stopped using wood and charcoal after a campaign to improve public health. Now, the high prices for gas have forced Abdul and many like her back to burning wood and charcoal and smelling smoke. 4"Gas is costly, that is why I am using firewood," she told Reuters. She explained that LPG had helped her breathe more easily and cooked her food faster. 5Burning LPG releases around 50 percent less carbon than charcoal. It also releases 20 percent less carbon gasses than heating oil. Switching to the gas from wood is a central proposal for carbon reduction plans in Africa's most populous nation. Nigeria is home to more than 200 million people. 6President Muhammadu Buhari commented on cleaner cooking in his recent speech at the United Nations climate meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. But LPG prices have risen by 60 percent over the past year in Nigeria's biggest city of Lagos. Inflation there is very high and unemployment is rising. 7Many women like 73-year-old Abdul spend hours inside cooking areas or at roadside cooking stands. They believe they have no choice but to burn wood or charcoal although it damages their health and harms forests. 8Nigeria's LPG use did not increase in 2020 after nearly 10 years of growth, according to the World LPG Association. In 2018, five percent of Nigerians used LPG for cooking while 73 percent depended on charcoal or biomass like wood. Those are the latest numbers from the United Nations International Energy Agency. 9Lagos charcoal seller Jerry Inyang said he now sells as many as 90 packs of charcoal a day. Three times the amount last year. Also, household demand for LPG began falling in 2020, according to the World LPG Association. Information for 2021 is not yet available. The Nigeria LPG Association (NLPGA) said the country is at risk of losing the gains it has made in natural gas use. 10Felix Ekundayo is deputy president of the NLPGA. He said a lack of energy supplies has led to an increase in prices for U.S., European and Middle Eastern LPG. He said prices are near a seven-year high and are behind Nigeria's rising prices. 11Nigeria is a major oil producer and a member of OPEC, the organization for oil-exporting countries. But it lacks the industrial ability to process the oil. Nigeria burns off large amounts of natural gas every year. 12Ekundayo said the falling value of the country's currency and a recently added 7.5 percent tax on LPG imports has increased prices further. The NLPGA has called on the government to withdraw the tax, which was added to make money for the government. 13At the same time, gasoline subsidies cost the state billions of dollars. Ekundayo said supporting the dirtier fuel, while taxing LPG, breaks a promise to reduce carbon gasses. 14"The time at which gas is displacing other dirty fuel, that is not the time to have inconsistent policy," Ekundayo said. 15Spokesmen for Buhari and the Petroleum Ministry did not comment on the tax. 16Abdul is also hoping LPG prices ease. The smoke from the wood fire hurts her chest, and she wants to use gas again. "I want the government to help and reduce this," she said. 17I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 18Mario Ritter Jr. adapted this Reuters story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 19_________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21charcoal -n. a fuel made from burned wood 22subsidy -n. money that is paid usually by a government to keep the price of a product or service low or to help a business or organization to continue 23inconsistent -adj. not continuing to happen or develop in the same way 24We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.