Traditional rulers in Wukari and Ibi Local Government Areas of Taraba State have pledged to mobilise residents to adopt cleaner cooking alternatives under an initiative by GAS360 targeting 150,000 households across Taraba South.
The programme, known as the Cook Clean, Pay Less Initiative, aims to reduce dependence on firewood and charcoal, limit deforestation, improve public health and create economic opportunities through the distribution of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
The Aku Uka of Wukari and chairman of the Taraba State Council of Traditional Rulers, His Majesty Manu Ishaku Adda Ali, and the Emir of Ibi, Alhaji Abubakar Salihu Danbawuro, made the commitment during separate engagements with the company to introduce the initiative in their communities.
At his palace in Wukari, Adda Ali received a certificate recognising him as a Clean Cooking Champion. He welcomed the programme and pledged to enlist other traditional rulers to encourage the adoption of cleaner energy sources.
The monarch also promised to establish a Cook Clean Delivery Unit at his palace to coordinate implementation. He urged residents to participate in the initiative and explore opportunities to become community-based gas entrepreneurs, known as Gaspreneurs.
In Ibi, Danbawuro signed a Cook Clean Declaration, committing to lead efforts to help households transition from traditional cooking fuels. He also pledged to seek support to subsidise clean cooking kits for low-income families.
In a statement signed by GAS360 Chief Executive Officer, Emmanuel Uwandu, the company said the initiative was designed to address persistent challenges in cooking gas distribution and cylinder tracking, with technology playing a central role in monitoring and implementation.
Uwandu explained that participating households would be verified and GPS-tagged, while their gas refills would be recorded on an artificial intelligence-powered platform. The system is expected to track consumption patterns, predict refill needs and identify households at risk of returning to firewood use.
He said the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas agenda, while its monitoring and verification framework is designed to comply with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
According to Uwandu, the company is also seeking authorisation from the National Council on Climate Change for a proposed carbon credit mechanism that could generate funding to subsidise clean cooking kits for vulnerable households.
GAS360’s Head of Market Expansion, Daniel Eberebor, said the first phase would cover 15,000 households in Wukari and Ibi before expanding to more than 150,000 households across Taraba South.
He added that the programme would create 1,000 Gaspreneurs to support community-level distribution and improve access to cooking gas.
Eberebor said the North-East was selected partly because heavy reliance on firewood and charcoal contributes to tree loss and environmental degradation, while smoke from traditional cooking fuels poses health risks to households.
He noted that the initiative was also being introduced in the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, Niger, Kaduna, Benue and Kogi states as part of a broader target to reach 10 million households nationwide.
The company urged residents and community leaders to support the transition, adding that participating households would have access to discounted clean cooking kits.
Chairman of Ibi Local Government Council, Joshua Emmanuel Ubandoma, assured GAS360 of the council’s support, promising to provide a secure and conducive environment for the programme’s implementation.
The launch also featured a live cooking demonstration by participant Farida Atoshi, who said cooking gas was cleaner, faster and more economical, highlighting its potential to improve household cooking conditions and promote healthier communities.
