Kwara govt. bans production, sales of charcoal

The Kwara government on Thursday banned the production and marketing of charcoal in the state by members of Charcoal Production and Marketers Association.

The Commissioner for Environment and Forestry, Alhaji Abubakar Mora, announced the ban on Thursday in Ilorin in an interview with NAN.

Mora warned members of the association to stop the production and marketing of charcoal throughout the state, saying they were polluting the environment.

He said that some members of the public had protested against the activities of members of the association, noting that they constituted health hazards.

He said that some traditional rulers had also drawn the attention of the ministry to the “alarming rate at which trees were being fell indiscriminately in their domain”.

The commissioner, therefore, warned that defaulters of the directive would face the wrath of the law.

He said that section one of the Charcoal Prohibition Laws of 2005, stipulates N50,000 fine or one year imprisonment if found guilty.

Mora warned that anyone caught selling charcoal would also be dealt with according to the law.

He directed the Forestry Department of the ministry to commence the arrest of violators, and stressed the need for adequate public awareness campaigns of state forestry laws for members of the association.