Anger as Gov’t Announces Total Ban on Cooking Charcoal Production, Gives Reasons

• Baruten Local Government in Kwara State has announced a total ban on charcoal production from October 1, 2025
• Locals say the government is ignoring the absence of electricity and the high cost of gas, warning that the ban will worsen poverty and drive families into hardship
• The Kwara State House of Assembly is debating a bill to impose tougher penalties on charcoal producers to curb deforestation and protect the environment

Residents of Baruten Local Government Area in Kwara State have raised alarm over looming hardship after the council announced a total ban on the production of charcoal effective October 1, 2025.

The directive was contained in a memorandum signed by the council chairman, Hon. Isa Jibril, on September 15, 2025, following an order from the Kwara State Ministry of Environment.

“You are, therefore, advised to complete and move away the production already in process from now to the end of September. Any group or individual found producing charcoal in the local government from October 1, 2025, shall be dealt with,” the notice warned.

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Kwara residents protest looming charcoal ban hardship

For many rural families in Baruten and across Kwara, charcoal is not just a cooking fuel but a survival lifeline. With electricity absent in most communities and cooking gas now selling for about ₦1,300 per kilogram, residents told Legit.ng that the government’s action could push households into hunger.

A resident in Gwanara, Mrs. Aisha Ibrahim, lamented:

“This ban is unfair. We don’t have light, gas is too expensive, and now they are stopping us from using charcoal. How do they expect us to cook? Do they want us to eat raw food?”

Another resident, Abdullahi Musa Gwanara, who produces and sells charcoal to feed his family, expressed fear of losing his livelihood.

“Charcoal is the only business feeding my children. If they stop us without providing another source of income, hunger will kill us before climate change does.”

Abdullahi added:

“Of course, we understand that the government’s argument is about climate change, but banning charcoal without making the alternative affordable to residents will be counterproductive.

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“Tell me how many of us(residents) can afford Kerosine or Gas. These are expensive and not what we can sustain in the long term.”

In Ilesha-Baruba, a local youth leader, Biliaminu Usman, told Legit.ng that the ban would worsen poverty in the area.

“The government should think twice. Charcoal is the only option for most of us here. If they want to protect the environment, they should first give us electricity and affordable gas. Without alternatives, people will suffer badly.”

Assembly pushes stiffer law

Legit.ng learned that the controversy comes at a time when the Kwara State House of Assembly is debating the Charcoal Production Prohibition Amendment Bill 2025.

The bill, sponsored by Hon. Razaq Omotosho, seeks to impose harsher penalties on offenders involved in illegal tree felling and charcoal production.

Omotosho argued during plenary that the law was needed to protect the ecosystem from massive deforestation.

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“Unless urgent steps are taken, Kwara faces ecological degradation, loss of farmlands, and worsening public welfare,” he said, warning that loggers were profiting at the expense of future generations.

Lawmakers stressed that the new amendment would introduce longer prison sentences, higher fines, and confiscation of equipment used in charcoal processing.

However, many residents believe the government is being insensitive by implementing the ban without offering alternatives

Social media reactions observed by Legit.ng showed growing outrage, with some users describing the policy as “anti-poor” and “a direct attack on rural communities.”

Bandits abduct seven residents

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that in a fresh attack in the northern part of Kwara State, bandits abducted several residents of the state despite the recent arrest of a dreaded terrorist leader, Mahmud Mohammed Usman.

Suspected bandits killed a prominent community member in Lade, Patigi LGA, and abducted others in another major community in the state.

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Residents are fleeing their homes due to repeated bandit attacks, while community leaders express fear and anger over the continued insecurity.

Source: Legit.ng