As part of her environmental/forest conservation efforts, a non-governmental organization, the Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria through the Calabar Centre for Justice and Peace Initiative, CCJPI, has disclosed that it has so far donated 1,450 energy saving firewood stoves to 19 communities in the Oban corridor of the Cross River National Park.
This disclosure was made in Oban, by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Bekomson, Director of the Calabar Centre for Justice and Peace Initiative, during the formal launch of the NGO’s Climate Change Project. Bekomson, said the project, started in August 2016, with a knowledge attitude and practice survey, seeks to build peace, protect the biosphere and ensure a possible increase in carbon credit accruable to the state. He added that the distribution of the stoves and subsequent use in the area will help reduce the level of wood fetching in the park among the communities as well as reduce conflict between park rangers and locals.
Technical Lead, CCJPI, Itorok Williams, who spoke with www.calitown.com, explained that through this project, “the communities from Ekan to Negh are now better placed to embrace other components of this project. CCJPI which has the mandate for peace building in communities is committed to ensuring that beyond what we have so far done, alternatives will be created for hunters and farmers, directly affected by the restrictions placed by law on their use of the forests. We will encourage and empower these people to go into alternatives like animal husbandry as well as help build their aqua culture capacity”.
Stephen Mbeh, village/clan head of Oban, Akamkpa Local Government Area, excited by the launch, told www.calitown.com that the Catholic church through CCJPI, has been doing a lot in the area. While thanking Fr. Bekomson and his team, he placed on record his conviction that this environmental/forest conservation initiative will further protect and preserve the forests for generations unborn.
The locally fabricated energy saving stoves, use less firewood, emits less carbon and cooks faster.
