Following the ban on production and sales of charcoal in Kwara State by the state government, the people of Ilorin have expressed mixed feelings over the development.

The aggregate view of residents who spoke to Daily Trust was that banning the production of charcoal in the state will greatly affect the citizenry, both financially and economically, as charcoal has been useful to them in many ways.

Abdul Ganiyu Masha Allah of Ita -Merin Area, Ilorin, who deals in charcoal, said he started the business 10 years ago, adding he could not start another business to sustain himself now.

He said: "As I am speaking to you, I have no any other business apart from this charcoal business I started 10 years ago. From this business I cater for myself, wife and children, including their school fees. If the government bans charcoal production, then, my family will be in trouble. So government should please have pity on us because we do not have other means of livelihoods."

A business woman, Mrs. Fauziyah Mosadoluwa, who uses charcoal to bake snacks and roast groundnut, said charcoal is economically safe compared with kerosene.

"I use charcoal for my business because it is fast and neat for cooking. Besides, it is economically wise to use charcoal in cooking. For example, I use kerosene of N1, 000 whereas charcoal of N500: 00 would be adequate for my daily baking," she said.

She appealed to the government to provide alternatives for people before banning the production and sale of charcoal.

Daily Trust had, last year, done an investigative report indicating that sale and production of charcoal is a big business in the state despite an extant law banning the business.

Charcoal which is a black or dark gray of carbon that is produced by heating wood or another organic substance is traditionally used as a fuel, filter and absorbent.

It has become very popular for domestic use in cooking by many households which explains why charcoal production has become a thriving business.

It became even more popular with the increasing price of kerosene, making it difficult for average women to afford and, therefore, resort to use of charcoal for cooking through a neatly cut metal cooker.

However, the government under the Ministry of Environment and Forestry wielded the big stick by announcing a ban on activities of charcoal dealers in the state and inaugurated a task force to monitor illegal forest activities in the state with a view to discouraging the business.

Commissioner for Environment and Forestry, Alhaji Abubakar Mora, constituted a 17-man task force in Kaiama Local Government Area where he lamented the increasing rate of bush burning and tree felling for charcoal production.

He said the illegal act had resulted into environmental degradation, calling for collaborative efforts to prevent environmental disasters in the area.

He urged the committee to ensure positive changes in the forest reserves.

The commissioner warned members of the Timber Chainsaw Millers Association to desist from illegal felling of trees, warning that anyone found wanting would be sanctioned.

With the rate at which many households use charcoal, the government is facing the daunting task of lessening the production and consumption rate as well as providing alternative for dealers who took charcoal production as their only source of livelihood.

Meanwhile, after the ban, there were protests from charcoal dealers' association seeking to know the rationale behind the government's action.

The commissioner, however, tried to rationalise the action in a chat with Daily Trust, saying it was done in the interest of the general populace.

He said: "These charcoal producers are people within us, we know them and we know where they carry out these activities. And when you make law, you don't make law for the sake of it, you make law for human beings and at times you also have to approach the application of the law with human face. They are killing our trees. They are increasing the temperature that you and I need to enjoy. Now when it is raining go and see the kind of rain that would be coming with full force because there are no trees to break the force of this rain. So our people are exposed to enormous danger. You see in some cases, the whole building would come down.

"So these charcoal producers are our enemies, let it be said loud and clear but you need it, too, because your economic standard has not gone to a point where everybody can feed through gas, so you still need charcoal. So what I came out with was, okay since we need this charcoal, to be able to reduce the production, then the purchasing power must be reduced. If you reduce the purchasing power, the production must drop.

"So I have given an instruction that they should not sell and they should not carry more than 20 bags of charcoal. If it is for domestic purposes, 20 bags of charcoal for as much as the charcoal dealers in this state would be enough for our consumption and we have brought out stiffer punishment for people who buy in trailers and take them away because in most cases it means they are creating danger for us to the advantage of people outside.

"When they export this charcoal, they leave us with enormous danger, you and I would be suffering for. And where they are taking our charcoal to, their forests are safe, nobody tampers with it but they are tampering with ours. So the best way to do is to give them stiffer punishment for those who are exporting it so that our forests shall be safeguarded for our future."

He added that the forest guards would closely monitor the forests in the state to frustrate illegal activities.

The commissioner added: "By the time they arrest few people, you would see the reduction. For now they have been out for the past one week, they couldn't apprehend anybody. Before you find them every day and night, they are parking our charcoal but since they have announced the ban on charcoal production and sale, the movement has drastically reduced. The implication is that if you do it before in the open without any fear, now you are afraid, you don't know who is watching you, who will apprehend you.

"All this punishment is not because of anything, it is for us to be able to protect our forest."