Federal Capital Territory residents are set to benefit from a major environmental health move as the Federal Capital Territory Administration commenced full implementation of its Breathe Clean Air Initiative, targeting over 5,000 households. The beneficiaries will receive free gas cylinders and free refills of cooking gas for six months, as part of efforts to reduce pollution and improve public health.
The initiative was officially launched on Saturday during the unveiling of the Safe Environment Renewable Project – Breathe Clean Air Abuja. The programme focuses on reducing reliance on firewood and charcoal, promoting clean energy, strengthening environmental protection, and improving family health. It also supports national goals under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises quality of life and sustainable development for all social classes.
Speaking at the event, the Mandate Secretary of the FCTA Health and Environment Secretariat, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, said the Breathe Clean Air Initiative goes far beyond handing out palliatives. She stressed that the project is designed to address environmental ignorance and help families, especially women, adopt healthier cooking habits. According to her, President Tinubu’s agenda has impacted every aspect of human life and continues to push for improved living standards across the country.
Fasawe explained that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has embraced the President’s vision and remains committed to creating a safer and healthier environment for residents. She said, “The truth is, health is wealth. Health and environment are equal. So the focus of this program is not only to give out palliatives, as we’ve done in the past. The focus of this program is to address the Renewed Hope Agenda Initiatives. It’s to tell Nigerians that if only we can put our hands together, and not wait for governments alone, we can have a happy, peaceful, and prosperous Nigeria. Because truly, with peace and prosperity Nigeria will be great again.”
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Babagena Adams, said the initiative is important because it helps reduce the physical stress experienced by pregnant women. He explained that clean cooking improves productivity and strengthens community health. He said, “We’re also saving the pregnant women, along with the family. So if they live healthy, they’ll be more productive, and the GDP of FCT will increase. A healthy community is a wealthy community, that’s the benefit.”
Mohammed Darwish, Chief Executive Officer of IHS Nigeria Limited and a partner of the initiative, noted that the project is designed to protect mothers and children from harmful emissions. He said prolonged use of firewood and charcoal exposes families to lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. According to him, “the six month voucher distributed in addition to the cylinder would encourage the beneficiaries to sustain the usage of the gas cylinders. This programme, in a nutshell and simple English, is about helping 5,000 mothers, sisters, and daughters by not inhaling toxic gases anymore, and by really making sure that their health is better by breathing fresh air. That’s in a nutshell.”
The Executive Vice President of IHS, Ayotade Oyinlola, added that the shift to clean cooking will reduce household spending on medical bills. Supporting this view, a Consultant Radiation and Clinical Oncologist at the National Hospital Abuja and Secretary of the Nigerian Cancer Society, FCT Chapter, Dr Ayuba Hannatu Usman, described the project as a prevention-focused health measure aimed at reducing environmentally induced illnesses.
Another advocate, Daniela Omotola of the Rotaract Clubs in Abuja, praised the project as a timely and life-changing effort that will reduce pollution and promote healthier living conditions. Stakeholders also noted that as more households adopt cooking gas, pressure on forests and surrounding ecosystems will gradually reduce.
According to the FCTA, the initiative is part of a wider environmental health strategy aimed at cutting pollution and building safer communities across the Federal Capital Territory in line with the national Renewed Hope Agenda.
