FG to ban sale, usage of tobacco in public places

Worried at the rate of death in the country resulting from the use of tobacco, the Federal Government on Wednesday announced its plans to ban the sale or offer for sale or distribution as well as consumption of tobacco products in public places.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole made this known in Abuja at a media briefing to mark this year’s world “NO Tobacco Day”.

The ban will also include the sale of tobacco products to and by anyone below 18, sale of cigarettes in single sticks, prohibition of interference of tobacco industry in public health and related issues, prohibition of smoking in anywhere on the premises of a child care facility; educational facility; and health care facility.

Other prohibited places for smoking include: Playgrounds; amusement parks; plazas; public parks; stadia, public transport vehicles, restaurants, bars, or other public gathering spaces.

The government said it would prosecute the owner or manager of any of the places listed above who permits, encourages or fails to stop smoking in the above listed places as well as the prohibition of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship of any kind.

According to him, tobacco is the only legal drug that kills many of its users when used exactly as intended by manufacturers adding that tobacco use is currently responsible for the death of about 6 million people annually across the world with 80% of these deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries like Nigeria. “This includes about 600,000 people who are also estimated to die from the effects of second-hand smoke. Many of these deaths occur prematurely. Although often associated with ill-health, disability and death from chronic non-communicable diseases, tobacco use is also associated with an increased risk of death from communicable diseases.”

The Minister lamented further “that Nigeria’s 2012 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) states that over 20 billion sticks of cigarettes are consumed in Nigeria annually, and 5.6% adults (4.5 million) currently use tobacco products out of which 4.1 million are men and 0.5 million women. In addition, 29.3% of adults (6.4 million) are exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke when visiting restaurants, hotels and other public settings. Of the adults surveyed, 82.4% believe that smoking causes serious illness. Recent study among University Students in Abuja, alarmingly shows that 33.3% of the students are current smokers.”

The worst he noted, is that tobacco growing requires large amounts of pesticides and fertilizers, which can be toxic and pollute water supplies. Each year, tobacco growing uses 4.3 million hectares of land, resulting in global deforestation between 2% and 4%. Tobacco manufacturing also produces over 2 million tonnes of solid waste.

While assuring on protecting the public health, he said government will not rest on its oars in the fight against tobacco as it has in pursuance with the provision of the Act, inaugurated the National Tobacco Control Committee (NATOCC) on the 12th of July, 2016 to advise on tobacco control matters as well as produce a draft of National Tobacco Control Regulations 2017 which will be transmitted to the National Assembly for approval as a legal framework for the effective implementation of the National Tobacco Control (NTC) Act 2015.

Also, in order to sustain the gains in tobacco control in Nigeria Government has recently approved the establishment of the National Tobacco Control Unit (TCU) as required by sections 6 and 7 of the National Tobacco Control (NTC) Act 2015 to drive the plans, policies, projects and programmes of NATOCC and the Federal Ministry of Health.