The Honourable Minister for Women Affairs Dame Pauline Tallen has urged state governments and Civil Society Organizations to support the effort of the federal government to break harmful norms and cultural practices that limit women, girls and children from reaching their full potentials and in the attainment of the sustainable development goals.

Tallen who represented President Buhari in Nasarawa State at the flag off of the first phase of the National cooking gas project and Economic tree planting exercise said emissions from cooking stoves kill about 4.3 million people annually mostly Women through air pollution and indoor-smoke inhalation causing respiratory diseases and death. Tallen said President Buhari has directed that each of the 774 local government area in Nigeria is to be supplied with 1,000 cooking gas cylinders to ensure women from ward level to the remotest village benefit from use of alternate clean stoves as the world transits to 21st century energy source.

Tallen disclosed that 25 million trees will be planted within one year flag-off economic tree planting exercise to stem the effect of deforestation in our communities and climate change. She requested all local government chair to replicate the tree planting exercise in their communities to ensure it becomes part of our national life.

The cooking gas and tree planting initiative according to Tallen is another milestone in the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to enhance quality of lives of Nigerian women, especially the rural women.

Adeniyi Esesua reports for Women Radio 91.7 in Abuja.

Photos credit- Ministry of Women Affairs