The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Anti-tobacco

  • Legislators urged to pass anti-tobacco bill

    Legislators urged to pass anti-tobacco bill

    Non Governmental organisation (NGO) is pushing for the passage of the National Tobacco Control Bill (NTCB).

    The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) said Nigeria is among the 180 countries that signed the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) treaty 10 years ago, to control the use and sale of tobacco products.

    The organisation spoke on the 10th anniversary of the treaty.

    ERA’s Director, Corporate Accountability and Administration, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said the occasion should be a re-commitment to fighting the devastating health, social, economic and environmental consequences of tobacco and tobacco use.

    He said Nigeria’s effort to domesticate the treaty in form of the National Tobacco Control Bill (NTCB) has suffered setbacks, adding: “For instance, in 2011 when it went through the readings, scaled Public Hearings and was passed by the Senate and House of Representatives it was not signed by President Goodluck Jonathan.”

    Oluwafemi said there is a renewed attempt to pass the bill by legislators, adding: “It is still suffering from tobacco industry attempts to ensure only a weak legislation is passed.”

    He also said: “As we join the rest of the world to celebrate the 10th year anniversary of the FCTC we are renewing our call for the National Assembly to pass the NTCB into law without further delays”

    “The health of our citizens continues to hang in the balance as the National Assembly delays the passage of the bill. The tobacco industry is very content with the delays and hiccups bedeviling the passage. The anniversary should therefore be a wakeup call for our lawmakers to expedite action and take this life-saving treaty serious”

    Oluwafemi said life-saving provisions of the FCTC can help to cut down growing tobacco-induced deaths, which the WHO puts at 5.4 million yearly, stressing: “It can also ensure price and tax measures, ban on Tobacco Advertising Promotion and Sponsorships (TAPS), provisions of packaging labeling, ban on sale to minors, among others.”

    Quoting the WHO, he said, the full implementation of the FCTC will support worldwide commitments to achieving a 25 per cent reduction in premature deaths from non-communicable diseases by 2025.

    This, he said, includes a 30 per cent reduction in prevalence of tobacco use in persons aged 15 years and over.

  • BATN tackles anti-tobacco groups

    British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) Limited has restated its commitment to the implementation of the Lagos State Public Place Smoking Law, which came into effect last week.

    The firm said it would continue to support its key stakeholders to drive a fully compliant and well- regulated sector.

    The statement came against the backdrop of a reaction to BATN’s recent sensitisation of officers of the Lagos State Police Command on the Lagos State Public Place Smoking Law.

    The firm said it was surprised that a Lagos-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) would fault the sensitisation of enforcement agents on the new Lagos Public Smoking law.

    The Area Director, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, BAT West Africa, Freddy Messanvi, said the firm believes that this was a task which such NGOs should spearhead.

    He said help was needed from NGOs and other stakeholders to  boost the understanding and appreciation of the law and not engage in industry de-normalisation tactics.

    Other issues requiring the attention of stakeholders include stemming the tide of illegal trade in the sector and using the funding that the NGOs get from their international partners to build the capacity of agencies who work on tobacco control to ensure that there is compliance with the regulations.

    He said engagement with stakeholders, such as the sensitisation of officers of the Nigeria Police in Lagos was held in accordance with the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, FCTC, Article 5.3.

    The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), charged with enforcing the Lagos State Public Place Smoking Law, had embarked on sensitising   residents on the provisions of the law.

    A public hearing was held by the Joint Committee on Health and Justice of the House of Representatives. Stakeholders welcomed further regulation of the sector, charging the legislators to ensure that the law was balanced and enforceable.

    Pro-industry stakeholders at the event asked the law makers to ensure that there is a balance in whatever law that is passed.

     

  • BATN promises to obey anti-tobacco law

    BATN promises to obey anti-tobacco law

    British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) Limited has restated its commitment to the successful implementation of the Lagos State Public Place Smoking Law, which came into effect on August 17. The company said that it would continue to support key stakeholders in the country to drive a fully compliant and well regulated tobacco sector in a transparent and responsible manner.

    The statement came against the backdrop of a reaction to BATN’s recent sensitisation of officers of the Lagos State Police Command on the Lagos State Public Place Smoking Law.

    The company stated that it was surprised that a Lagos-based NGO would fault the sensitisation of enforcement agents on the recently passed Lagos Public Smoking law. Freddy Messanvi, Area Director, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, BAT West Africa, said that the company believes that this was a task which such NGOs should spearhead.

    Messanvi stated that help is needed from NGOs and other stakeholders to enhance understanding and appreciation of the law, and not a time to engage in industry de-normalisation tactics. Other issues requiring the urgent attention of all stakeholders include stemming the increasing tide of illegal trade within the sector and using the funding that the NGOs get from their international partners to build the capacity of agencies who work on tobacco control to ensure that there is compliance with stated laws and regulations.

    He said that engagement with stakeholders such as the recent sensitisation event of officers of the Nigeria Police in Lagos was held in accordance with the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, FCTC, Article 5.3. The sensitisation of the police was done in public and the engagement was transparently conducted.

     

     

  • Anti-tobacco committee urged to enforce law

    Anti-tobacco committee urged to enforce law

    The Ministerial Committee on the Ban on Public Smoking in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been urged to enforce the law.

    This was the position of chairmen of the six area councils of the FCT at the 2012 Stakeholders’ Forum on the ban on tobacco smoking in public places in the FCT, held in Abuja.

    Speaking on behalf of the chairmen, Kuje Area Council chairman, Hon. Danladi Etsu Zhin, said if erring smokers are arrested and prosecuted, it would deter others from engaging in the act.

    “The committees should start enforcing the ban on non-smoking in the public places and if some are arrested and prosecuted, it will now serve as deterrent to others. The media also has a lot to do in carrying across this message,” he said.

    He condemned the act saying, “one doesn’t need to be told that tobacco smoking is dangerous to his or her health. If you feel it is necessary to smoke, don’t cause any hazards to those who don’t want to smoke. You have to find a hideout where you can do that”.

    He advised students from various schools in the FCT who attended the meeting to shun tobacco smoking to avoid the unpleasant effect to their health.

    “Don’t even go into it at all because it has nothing to contribute to your health, so why should you go into it in the first place?” he asked.

    He also charged them to take the message to their friends, just as he pledged the commitment of council chairmen to sustain the campaign in their domains.

    In her welcome address, the Secretary, Social Development Secretariat of the FCT, Mrs Blessing Onuh said the forum was part of the strategy of the FCT administration to consolidate and strengthen the campaign against cigarette smoking in public places within the FCT.

    She said the forum was to enable “us to put heads together to see how best to reduce the use of tobacco to its barest minimum in the FCT”.

    According to her, the secretariat has been able to sustain its enlightenment campaigns through the sponsorship of TV and radio campaigns.

    “Since the start of this campaign in 2008, it has yielded positive results most especially in the city centres where our activities are focused.

    “We have equally continued to interface with relevant stakeholders with a view to forging an effective synergy in the campaign. Perhaps one of our greatest successes is in reaching out to youths at the secondary school level,” she said.

    The meeting was attended by representatives of hotel owners, restaurant operators, night club sponsors, parks operators, transport workers, airport management, schools, security and other law enforcement agencies.