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Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TV NIGERIA POLLUTION HEALTH
HEADLINE: Despite Health Hazards, Millions of Nigerians Still Using Solid Cooking Fuels
TEASER: Households depend on firewood, charcoal to heat food because of the high cost of cleaner alternatives
PUBLISHED: 06/26/2023 at 8:50am
BYLINE: Timothy Obiezu, Reifenrath
DATELINE: ABUJA, NIGERIA
VIDEOGRAPHER: Timothy Obiezu
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Kenochs, Reifenrath
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV X RADIO X
TRT: 2:59
VID APPROVED BY: mia
TYPE: TVPKG/RADIO
EDITOR NOTES: All SOTs have been introduced for radio.))
((INTRO))
[[According to the U.N., in 2021, Nigeria had the most child deaths caused by pollution-related pneumonia in the world, at nearly 70 thousand. UNICEF says 40 percent of those deaths are a result of breathing air pollution caused by burning solid cooking fuels in the home. Timothy Obiezu has this report from Abuja, Nigeria.]]
((NARRATOR))
Firewood, polythene bags and a matchstick — this is how Hadiza Salisu starts a fire to cook her family's meals every day.
She’s been doing this for years. And like most women in Nigeria, Salisu has heard of cleaner fuels for cooking. But she says her family is too poor to consider an alternative, despite suffering from persistent respiratory problems.
((Hadiza Salisu, Abuja Resident)) ((Female, in Hausa))
“My children are suffering a lot from it. I don't sleep at night sometimes because I'm afraid they'll die. They're always wheezing in their sleep because they don't breathe well, and sometimes when I touch their chests they cry because it's so painful.”
((NARRATOR))
Around 70% of households in Nigeria burn charcoal or solid biomass fuel such as firewood for cooking, according to the country's statistics bureau.
The World Health Organization says that smoke from the kitchen is a leading cause of death in the country, after malaria and HIV/AIDS, and that some 95,000 Nigerians die annually as a result.
UNICEF says children are seriously affected. Eduardo Celades is the Nigeria chief of health for the U.N. children's agency.
((Eduardo Celades, UNICEF)) ((in English))
“Forty percent of the deaths due to pneumonia are because of air pollution, so we’re talking here about big numbers, we're talking about like 70,000 children die every year. We at UNICEF are supporting the country to expand the network of community health workers.”
((NARRATOR))
Nigerian authorities also worry about deforestation caused by cutting trees for firewood, saying it can worsen the impact of climate change.
In March, authorities launched an initiative to distribute up to one million clean cookstoves to poor citizens.
But UNICEF’s Celades says authorities need to initiate and implement policies that can address the problem in a broader manner.
((Eduardo Celades, UNICEF)) ((in English))
"We are working at two levels. One level is to ensure that the government commits to really reduce the number of households cooking indoors. Some laws need to be domesticated at the state level.”
((NARRATOR))
Zainab Ishaku is hoping to receive a clean cookstove soon.
((Zainab Ishaku, Abuja Resident)) ((Female, in Hausa))
“The reason why I use firewood to cook is because I don't have money to buy a cooking stove or gas cylinder, and my children are 10 in number, so I use a big pot that can contain the amount of food we can eat.”
((NARRATOR))
Unless the government can make drastic changes in the lifestyles of people like Ishaku, millions of people in Nigeria will continue to burn firewood or even more dangerous materials in their homes and continue to put their children at risk.
((Timothy Obiezu, for VOA News, Abuja, Nigeria))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateJune 26, 2023 09:21 EDT
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
