Follow Us on Google
The Emir of Nasarawa Emirate in Nasarawa State, HRH Ibrahim Usman Jibril, has been appointed the Royal Flagbearer of the Greenplinth 80 million Cookstove project in Nigeria.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by the President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Greenplinth Africa, Dr. Olawale Akinwumi, during a Strategic Project Implementation Management Retreat and Stakeholders Engagement in Lagos, with the theme: “Clean Cooking Access in Africa: Igniting Socio-Economic Change with 80m Clean Cookstoves in Nigeria”.
Speaking on why the traditional ruler, who is also the President of Nasarawa Emirate Council and a former Minister of State for Environment, is qualified for the appointment, Akinwunmi described traditional rulers as key to the success of the 80 million Cookstove Project because of the influence they wield on communities.
He said: “You are more than qualified for this role. You are not just the bridge, you’re the motivator. Royal fathers are key to this project. Whether we like it or not, they own the community.”
Expressing gratitude for the appointment, the monarch assured Greenplinth Africa of his commitment and support to its vision. He, however, cautioned against joiners and opportunists whose interests would be pecuniary gains and destruction of the project.
“I want you to know that in Nigeria, there are very few builders. But there are so many joiners. Failure is an orphan, but success has so many fathers.When this thing becomes successful, you will see those who would want to join. And instead of joining to compete on a level playing ground, they will do a pull-down syndrome. You have to be prepared for that.You have to make sure your foundation is ironclad, so that when they push, they will not be able to approach you. Even in political circles, you see those who compromise. So beware of joiners who will come at the late hour when you are ready to take the lunch. But when you are preparing the menu, they would be nowhere to be found.
Other News
“We are struggling now. I’ve come all the way from Nasarawa because I believe in this. There will be a time that they will not even want to know those who initiated it. They will not want your name to be mentioned. They will not want to know when the professor came here and gave us an interesting lecture. They will just be looking at the end product, the money that comes out of it.”
Warning against compromise on standards, the monarch and the chairman of the occasion added: “They will not get the carbon credit, but they will fabricate inferior cooking materials that will rust after a year or two, and sell it in the market. And people will go for it. But the standard will always be there. So maintain the high standards that we are about to adopt. And at the end of the year, we will all be happy. And I want to assure you that we will keep flying the green flag constantly for the sake of our team, for the sake of our country.”
Earlier in his presentation, former General Manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Dr. Adetokunbo Adedeji, decried the perennial dependence on firewood and kerosene stoves, stating that it was not merely an energy problem but an interconnected crisis of public health, gender inequality, economic poverty, and environmental destruction. According to him, household air pollution from these stoves claims more than 3.2 million lives annually.
“For generations, traditional cooking methods, predominantly open firewood stoves and kerosene stoves, have served as the primary energy source for households across developing communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and beyond. This reliance, however, carries a staggering and often invisible cost: a compounding crisis of public health devastation and accelerating environmental degradation.
“Household air pollution from these stoves claims more than 3.2 million lives annually, making it one of the leading environmental risk factors globally. Simultaneously, the insatiable demand for firewood strips forests bare, driving deforestation, desertification, and releasing enormous quantities of greenhouse gases that accelerate global climate change.”
He added: “The Panda Cookstove represents a decisive and rigorously engineered intervention designed to break this destructive cycle. By harnessing advanced combustion engineering, high-grade thermal insulation, and fuel-flexible design, the Panda Cookstove offers communities a sustainable, affordable, and scalable pathway toward cleaner air, healthier lives, and a regenerating environment. This report examines the perennial harms of traditional stoves, details the Panda Cookstove’s technical superiority, and outlines a strategic framework for its widespread adoption.”
Commenting on the importance of Lagos State to the project, the group financial officer of Greenplinth Africa, Babatunde Aina, said: ”For a programme that must produce uniform, equitable, carbon-grade evidence, Lagos offers three properties that no other state offers at the same time: operational density, institutional readiness and statistical floor.”
On the key measurable climate impacts of the project, climate change expert, Eyitope Ajayi, asserted that it would generate over three million green jobs and ensure 90 per cent firewood reduction for 180 million Nigerians.
