Emir of Nasarawa Backs Deployment of 80m Clean Cookstoves to Nigerian Households

Oluchi Chibuzor 

In an effort to create clean cooking systems for Nigeria, the Emir of Nasarawa, has thrown his weight behind accelerating the deployment of 80 million clean cookstoves initiative in Nigeria.

The Emir who was equally appointed as the royal flagbearer for the project and four billion innovative tree planting and nurturing programme in Nigeria, warned against opportunists. 

Speaking at the end of two-day strategic project implementation management retreat and stakeholders engagement for the clean cookstoves initiative held in Lagos, recently, the Emir said “The project promoters must watch for opportunists who may seek personal gain at the expense of the programme’s objectives.”

The event themed, ‘Clean Cooking Access in Africa: Igniting Socio-Economic Change with 80 Million Clean Cookstoves in Nigeria’, saw the Emir accepting the new role.

The former Minister of State for Environment, said that the project would help eliminate several health issues that arise from smoke especially for women across the country.

According to him, “Annually, people lose their lives as a result of diseases related to bad cooking habits and dirty cooking habits.

“So for Greenplinth to come up with this initiative, they are not only helping us to get the carbon credits that others are ripping away, but they are helping humanity. 

“Most of our rural elements, particularly the women, are the ones that are at the receiving end. And these are people that have very little access to important health facilities. So getting them out of this trap is a significant milestone. It is something worth commending and worth supporting.”

For the Deputy General Manager, Greenplinth, Babatunde Aina, said the project is about replacing smoke with safety.

“It’s about proving that Nigeria can lead the world with a model that is socially inclusive, digitally verifiable, environmentally transformative and financially sustainable.

“The initiative is designed to transform how millions of Nigerian households cook, live and participate in the growing climate economy.”

The President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Greenplinth Africa, Dr. Olawale Akinwumi, who announced the Emir as the flagbearer of a four billion plantation of innovative trees for the project, praised the Emir’s commitment to nation building.

Akinwumi described traditional rulers as indispensable stakeholders in the successful implementation of the project due to their deep influence within communities.

“Royal fathers are key to this project. Whether we like it or not, they own the community,” he said.

On her side, Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Climate Change and Circular Economy, Titilayo Oshodi, said time has come for the nation to take its own initiative.

“Lagos is actively presenting investment-ready climate opportunities to global stakeholders, to development institutions, to climate finance actors and private investors. Interestingly, one of the flagship opportunities that is generating significant international interest is the 80 million Green Food Stove Initiative and that tells us something that is very important. It tells us that the future of climate action extends beyond ambition alone.

“It is built on implementation-ready projects that are capable of delivering measurable impact on environment, economic opportunity, public health improvement and scalable community transformation and that is why it’s the right time for this initiative to matter to us,” she said.

On his part, the former DG, NCCC, Dr. Salisu Dahiru, said that the 80 million clean cookstoves remain critical to the achievement of Nigeria’s energy transition plan.

“No clean cooking, no ETP in Nigeria. So the 80 million clean cookstoves initiative is very critical to achieving ETP. The project is aligned with the Paris agreement crediting mechanism and is a model for collaboration for a sustainable energy future,” he said.

ECOWAS Court Orders Nigeria to Pay Journalist N10m for Rights Violations During #EndBadGovernance Protest

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has found the Federal Republic of Nigeria liable for violating the fundamental rights of journalist and President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Correspondents’ Chapel, Mr. Jide Oyekunle, during the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests in Abuja and ordered the government to pay him N10 million in compensation.

In a landmark judgement delivered on June 22, 2026, in suit No. ECW/CCJ/APP/29/25, the regional court held that Nigerian authorities violated Oyekunle’s rights to freedom of expression, personal liberty, human dignity, protection against torture and degrading treatment, and his right to own and enjoy property following his treatment by security agents while covering the protest at Eagle Square on August 1, 2024.

The court also directed the Nigerian government to submit, within three months, a report detailing steps taken to implement the judgement and ordered it to bear the costs of the proceedings.

Oyekunle had approached the regional court alleging that police officers assaulted him, unlawfully detained him and confiscated his professional equipment while he was performing his duties as a journalist during the protest.

He claimed that security operatives fired tear gas at the protest venue, seized his mobile phone for about eight hours and damaged his Canon camera. He further alleged that he was subsequently subjected to unlawful surveillance and monitoring of his telephone communications.

The journalist sought declarations that his rights to freedom of expression, liberty, dignity, property and privacy had been breached and demanded N505 million in general and special damages.

The Nigerian government denied the allegations and argued that the protest had become violent, necessitating the deployment of security personnel to secure the Three Arms Zone in Abuja. It further contended that Jide’s temporary detention was lawful and resulted from his refusal to comply with directives issued by law enforcement officers.

However, the three-member panel of the court, presided over by Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves and comprising Justices Sengu Mohamed Koroma and Edward Amoako Asante, dismissed the government’s defence, holding that the applicant was engaged in legitimate journalistic activity on a matter of significant public interest and that the state failed to provide any lawful basis for interfering with his work or confiscating his mobile phone.

The court ruled that the actions of security agents amounted to a violation of the journalist’s right to freedom of expression as guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The judges further held that Nigeria failed to produce evidence of any judicial warrant or lawful process to justify Oyekunle’s detention and consequently declared the detention arbitrary and a breach of his right to liberty and security of person.

Relying on video and photographic evidence tendered by the applicant, the court also found that security agents physically assaulted and dragged the journalist while he was carrying out his professional duties. It ruled that such treatment amounted to degrading treatment and torture and faulted the Nigerian authorities for failing to conduct an effective investigation into the allegations.

The court equally held that there was sufficient evidence to establish that Oyekunle’s mobile phone was unlawfully confiscated during the protest, thereby violating his right to own and enjoy property.

However, the regional court declined to award special damages relating to the alleged destruction of his camera, holding that the evidence presented was insufficient to establish state responsibility for the damage. It also dismissed his claim that his right to privacy had been violated, ruling that he failed to provide sufficient evidence linking the alleged surveillance, interception of communications and deletion of data to state security agents.

The judgement is one of the most significant pronouncements by the ECOWAS Court on the protection of journalists and press freedom in recent years and comes amid persistent concerns by media and human rights organisations over the treatment of journalists covering protests and civil unrest in Nigeria. It reinforces the principle that journalists performing their professional duties, particularly while reporting on matters of public interest, are entitled to protection under regional and international human rights instruments and that states have a legal obligation to ensure that security operations do not infringe upon fundamental freedoms guaranteed by law.