By Fortune Abang
The earlier warning against smoking in Nigeria was "Tobacco smoking is dangerous to health'' which was later amended as: "Smokers are liable to die young'' to be inscribed on any brands of cigarette packets and advertisements.
Tobacco can be derived from plants processed from dried leaves that contain nicotine and can be used for the production of cigarettes, snuff, pipe tobacco and chewing tobacco.
However, the irony is that the warning has not in any manner, reduced the number of smokers while some addicts say the warning is only for the youth, according to records.
Smoking in Nigeria is prohibited in the public place and punishable by a fine of not exceeding N1,000 or imprisonment to a term of not exceeding two years or to both such fine and imprisonment.
Other efforts at eradicating tobacco smoking involve the anti-tobacco communities in Nigeria that are at the forefront of ensuring a smoke-free public place.
Media reports also indicate more than 40 civil society groups, legal practitioners and public health advocates had, at a time, presented their support for National Tobacco Control Bill which passed its second reading at the House of Representatives on March 21.
The bill reportedly "disappeared'' between 2009 when its first sponsor, Mr Olorunnimbe Mamora, a former senator who sponsored the bill, and 2012 when it resurfaced and represented.
The bill is intended to be a comprehensive law which will regulate the manufacturing, advertising distribution and consumption of tobacco products in Nigeria.
It is to domesticate the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) because Nigeria is a party to that international convention.
When it is made a law, it will make it mandatory to affix health warnings on tobacco product packaging and ban the sale of cigarettes to minors.
It will also strictly regulate tobacco advertising, sponsorship and promotion, prohibits smoking in public places including schools, airports and public buildings, and introduces regulations on the manufacturing, distribution and marketing of tobacco products.
As laudable as the contents of the bill are, stakeholders in health sector have become worried on what requirements are still needed for the passage of the bill.
In what appears to be a response to this agitation, the Minister of State for Health, Dr Muhammad Pate, said the bill would be passed into law before the next World Health Day on April 7, 2014 to enhance control of the tobacco industry's activities.
Making reference to the World No Tobacco Day marked on every May 31, Pate said: "We are working hard with the legislators and other stakeholders in the health sector to ensure that within a very short period of time, we will have tobacco bill passed.''
In the same vein, Mr.Yakub Alebiosu who led the debate on the bill said when it became law; it would ensure safety of lives of all Nigerians, prohibit smoking in public places and prescribe penalties and fines for offenders.
Contributing, Mr. Sekonte Davis from Rivers stated that the bill would ensure that under-age children were disallowed access to tobacco over the counter.
Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila from Lagos State, said that the bill would address the trend of habitual smoking, as well as ensure that non-smokers were protected.
Experts are of the view that there is the need for a portion of the bill to specifically address adverse effects of tobacco smoking such as heart disease, among others.
The experts identify tobacco smoking to be responsible for major risk factors such as heart attacks, stroke, chronic disease, cancer and hypertension.
Dr Rui Gama-Vaz, a WHO Representative, says most smokers affected by hypertension are often not aware of the disease and its complications.
Quoting from the message from the WHO Regional Director, Dr Luis Sambo, at a public function held in Abuja recently, Gama-Vaz said unbalanced diet, lack of exercise, harmful use of alcohol and smoking, increased the chances of hypertension.
Tobacco-related activities as they affect human heath also show that smoking is the most preventable habit that could lead to death, according to Atlas Journal online which reveals that Nigerians smoke about 17 billion sticks of cigarettes annually,
It describes the figure as a tremendous increase over the period of six years.
It also records that 21.7 per cent out of the Nigerian youths were exposed to second hand smoking, and as such, are at risk of cancer and other allied disease infections.
With this health implication of tobacco use, observers have, therefore, called on the National Assembly and stakeholders in the health sector to expedite action on the passage of the bill.
According to them, proper laws on tobacco use will guide many Nigerians in dealing with tobacco-related health issues and ensure safe environment.
Source: NAN
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