APPRAISAL OF PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION OF CHARCOAL AND FIREWOOD AS AN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES FOR DOMESTIC USAGE IN KEFFI NASARAWA STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

The simple way to utilized forest resources is to make use of their by-products (firewood and charcoal) in our households. Africa suffered a great deal of energy supply. Nigeria has limited electricity supply in recent years. Gas, kerosene and LNG are exorbitant that poor people cannot afford. The rate of poverty increases especially in a mostly rural community in Nigeria as well as Africa due to bad leadership that common people have no resources to depend on except forest resources where women and children go to bushes. This study assesses the per capita consumption of both the firewood and charcoal daily, weekly, monthly and annually. The rates of consumption determine the usage of fuelwood. The regression analyses were employed to statistically verify the rate of fuelwood consumption. The result indicates that there are high rates of consumption per capita per day (charcoal 0.20kg, firewood 0.09kg), per capita per week charcoal 9.9kg, firewood 4.48kg), per capita per month ( charcoal 181.9kg; firewood 82.5kg) and charcoal 26,937kg firewood 12,042kg). This indicates that people are highly destroying forest daily and alter the natural system of the environment for the sake of fuelwood consumption.