Borno State government says it has not placed a blanket ban on sales of charcoal and firewood across the state, rather there is ban on sales of charcoal and firewood on the roadside of seven selected major streets in Maiduguri.
The Overseeing commissioner of environment, Barrister Kaka Shehu Lawan, who is Borno’s attorney general and commissioner of justice, made this clarification on Monday.
Lawan noted that the government’s ban only affects roadside sales of charcoal and firewood along Maiduguri-kano road, Lagos street, Baga road, Bama road, Custom /Gamboru Ngala road, Sir Kashim Ibrahim road, the G R A general area, and few others.
The commissioner said the state government’s directive requires that dealers and retailers of charcoal and firewood relocate to a befitting firewood market which the state government built and equipped with water facility and worship centre, sited along Damboa road (adjacent Bakassi IDP camp) in Maiduguri.
Lawan noted that his ministry took measures to sanitize the city centre due to indiscriminate sales of charcoal by the roadside of major streets, which had defaced the ancient city.
The commissioner said he had held meetings with unions of charcoal and firewood traders and his ministry was supporting them in ways they could do their businesses hitch-free.
