In a move to encourage the use of cleaner enegry, no fewer than 200 families in Ikate-Elegushi area of Lagos State on Sunday benefited from the “Trash for Gas”, an environmental sustainability initiative of Oba Saheed Elegushi Foundation.
The initiative in partnership with Smart Gas aims to maintain environmental cleanliness and sustainable society.
Addressing the beneficiaries, Dr Yinka Opeke, Chief Executive Officer, Smart Gas, said the campaign was to promote the use of cooking gas as a safer alternative to kerosene, firewood and charcoal.
“We are educating you on the importance of living in a cleaner and healthier environment.
“The use of firewood and charcoal for cooking not only impacts our environment negatively due to the emissions; but also your health because of the smoke inhaled mostly by women and children.
“We pitched this campaign to the Oba Saheed Elegushi and he has deemed it fit to bring it to your doorstep and that is why, today, he has funded these cylinders.
“We will be exchanging your trash for our gas cylinders, thereby leaving you with a healthier and cleaner neighbourhood.
“I implore you to please make good use of these cylinders,” Opeke said.
The traditional ruler of the kingdom and founder of the foundation, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, speaking through the Aro-oba of Ikate kingdom, Chief Olalekan Bakare, said he was keen about the issue of climate change, particularly in his domain.
According to Bakare, the essence of the initiative is to ensure a cleaner and healthier environment by promoting sanitation in the community.
“Cooking with wood is not healthy again. It is not the way forward. It is more cleaner cooking with gas.
“Oba Elegushi will continue to support anything for sustainable economy and we”ll continue to campaign about the importance of keeping the environment clean,” he said.
Also, the Managing Director of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Mr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, lauded the initiative, saying that it would save the environment.
A beneficiary, Mrs Idayat Onikoyi, said, “this is a thing of joy to me and my family. We are grateful to the Oba and Smart Gas for this initiative.”
Another beneficiary, Mrs Kafayat Saulat, commended the traditional ruler for the initiative and other development he had brought to the community.
The residents were given tools, hand gloves, refuse bags to get and separate recyclables in exchange for a 3kg filled gas cylinder each.