Why We’re Into Charcoal Business – Youths

Idon, a rural community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, North West Nigeria, endowed with forest resources, has become a hub for the production and sales of charcoal in the State regardless of the  environmental impact

Hundreds of sack bags of charcoal are produced daily from within and neighbouring communities and loaded into trucks in Idon for urban centres.
Seen as a lucrative business and means of livelihood, youths go to the hinterlands on motorcycles to purchase from villagers who are mostly producers and bring them down to Idon where they sell to vendors.
Speaking with Climate reporters on a field trip, One of the vendors and a graduate in agriculture, Frank Bala said most youths in the area have turned to the lucrative business due to its high urban demand.
” Although we know the consequences of the act on the environment, we don’t have alternative”, he said.

At the residence of the village head, the National President of Idon Development Union, Monday Linus  told journalists that the charcoal activities have negatively affected the environment where logs are no longer found, a situation which the Union was trying to curtail or discourage .

“We discourage our youths from felling trees and take to farming to safeguard the future . The Youths have seen it as a lucrative business, but we consider the consequences these activities would have on our future”, he warned.
During the visit, Journalists were shown various processes of cutting trees to the production of Charcoal.

One of the producers demonstrating to journalists the process of production

Meanwhile, the Deputy Director of Forestry in the State Ministry of Environment, Jaddi Michael  who was in the team, reaffirmed State government strong recognition of climate change hence its avowed commitment to preventing human activities against environment.

He disclosed that the annual tree planting campaign by the government has however been disrupted by the prevailing insecurity having planted 4,000,000 between 2016 and 2020.

Tree planting, he emphasized, was being carried out in only areas considered secured, while the ban on tree felling remains in force in the State.

Jaddi Michael, who was speaking at one of the  guard posts manned by Forest Rangers, spoke of the security threats on his men from firewood merchants who carried out their nefarious activities at Nights.

Contributing, One of the Forest Rangers spoke of the threats from the firewood merchants and loggers stressing the need to provide them with arms to withstand any possible danger.

   According to reports, Kaduna lost over 5, 400 hectares of natural forest in 2023.

The trip to Idon was part of a three- day workshop “Women Empowerment and Climate Resilience Initiative” with the theme: Strengthening Journalism and Reporting on Climate- related Issues, which ended in Kaduna on Thursday.

The Women Empowerment and Climate Resilience Initiative(WECRI) is implemented by Bridge That Gap Initiative (BTG) as part of the Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PACE) Programme, funded by UK International Development.

It focuses on building sustainable communities and enhancing climate resilience among vulnerable populations in Kaduna State.
The project recognizes that women are disproportionately affected by climate shocks but are underrepresented in governance.
By focusing on gender inclusion, WECRI poised to strengthen women’s groups, improve their policy advocacy skills, and provide them with resources like energy-efficient cookstoves to reduce reliance on fuelwood.

By Martha Agas

An energy expert, Ms Rahila Thomas, has called for the establishment of a high-level inter-ministerial committee to address the burden on mining companies that largely self-generate power for their operations.

Thomas, the Country Director of Energy Markets and Rates Consultants (EMRC) Limited, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.

She said the committee would focus on integrating Nigeria’s mining and power sectors to unlock billions in investment, boost industrial growth and reduce the industries’ reliance on costly and polluting self-generated electricity.

“To catalyse this integration, the high-level inter-ministerial coordination committee or council will synchronise efforts across the Ministries of Power, Solid Minerals, Finance, and Budget and National Planning,” she said.

Thomas explained that the move was crucial to develop uniform rules and tools such as standard power agreements, clear grid connection guidelines and reliable data systems.

According to her, this will make it easier and cheaper for mining companies to access electricity, attract investment and encourage growth in the sector.

“This can result in standardising commercial and technical toolkits such as Mining Embedded Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), Grid Connection, and Curtailment Codes for Mines to reduce project costs and transaction friction.

“It can also help design incentives and create a one-stop mining-power data portal to drive investment,” she said.

Thomas emphasised the strong interconnection between the mining and power sectors, explaining that a reliable and affordable electricity supply was vital for advancing value-added mining, enhancing export potential, and expanding industrial employment.

According to her, the power sector likewise depends on creditworthy, large-scale and long-term consumers to reduce investment risks and make power projects financially viable.

“Aligning the two creates a self-reinforcing cycle of investment and growth,” she said.

Thomas urged mining firms to stop relying solely on their own power generators and leverage on the use of the Eligible Customers Regulation to buy cleaner, cheaper electricity from the grid.

The expert explained that the eligible customers regulation allows large power users such as mining companies to buy electricity directly from generation companies instead of distribution companies.

She said the move could help mining companies save money, reduce emissions, and open doors to climate-related funding.

“Mining companies should explore the use of Eligible Customers Regulation to make a switch from polluting and expensive captive generation plants.

“To cleaner energy sources from the grid that can earn them carbon credit revenues and unlock climate financing for power projects across the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry,” she said.

NAN recalls that Thomas, during a panel session on “Power–Mining Integration in Nigeria: Opportunities and Risks” at the recent Nigeria Mining Week, discussed challenges affecting the nation’s mineral resource development.

She said Nigeria’s abundant minerals, including lithium vital for achieving global emission reduction targets, were constrained by infrastructure deficits and high operating costs.

Thomas said they included unreliable and costly electricity supply, which posed one of the most significant barriers to growth.

Thomas stated that many mining companies relied on diesel generators, paying up to N450 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for power, excluding capital expenses over four times the cost borne by grid-connected industries with limited reliability.

She is also a Co-Facilitator of the Energy and Industrial Policy Commission at the Nigeria Economic Summit