The Nation Newspaper

Tag: smokers

  • ‘Flush out weed smokers from our community’

    Residents of Somorin, Okeowo, Ifako in Gbagada, Lagos State have urged the government to arrest and prosecute some “boys” they accused of smoking substance suspected to be Indian hemp in the the area.

    They said the “boys” have robbed them of valuables, besides constituting a threat to the peace in the area.

    In a Save Our Soul (SOS) to the government, the residents said the hoodlums usually assemble in front of a popular school from mid-day till night, smoking “weed”.

    The petition said a gospel church, which occupies one of the school’s buildings, has been subjected to the menace of the weed smokers.

    According to the residents, the road in the area has also become almost impassable and urged the government to save the area from lawlessness and collapse.

    They regretted that the hoodlums appeared to have become role models to the pupils, and urged that government to nip the menace in the bud before the miscreants turn the future leaders into hoodlums.

  • Smokers risk three-month jail in Ekiti

    Smokers risk three-month jail in Ekiti

    ANYONE who smokes in public in Ekiti State now risks going to jail for three months.

    This followed the inauguration of the Smoke-Free Law Enforcement Committee.

    The Committee, chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Dr. Bolanle Fakunle, was inaugurated yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    The Anti-Smoking Enforcement Panel was to give legal backing to the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Law passed by the House of Assembly on September 26, 2012.

     It was signed by former Governor Kayode Fayemi on December 31 of the same year.

    Security agencies, such as the police, civil defence corps, environmental health officers, have been empowered by law to arrest culprits and ensure  their prosecution.

    The advocacy was driven by a non-governmental organisation, the New Initiative for Social Development.

    Delivering his address, the Executive Director of NISD,  Abiodun Oyeleye, said the tobacco epidemic has adverse impact on public health of developing countries, including Nigeria.

    Oyeleye said awareness has been created among various stakeholders, such as religious and political leaders, hoteliers, drivers’ unions, youths, women, senior government officials, ministries, departments and agencies.

    Punishment for contravention of the law is found in Section 6. Any person who contravenes any of the provision of the law other than Section 3 shall be liable on conviction to a fine of N10,000 or to an imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or both.

    A fine of N25,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both awaits any offender who contravenes any of the provision of Section 3 of the law.

    The law further prescribes a punishment of N250,000 for the violation of sub-section (1) or (2) stated above, if it be a corporate offender.

    Dr. Fakunle said the move was not targeted at smokers but to prevent smoking in public places to safeguard public health and protect non-smokers from inhaling cigarette fumes.

    Members of the Committee are Mr. Lawrence Ojo, Permanent Secretary/Solicitor General, Ministry of Justice; Mr. P.A. Bankole of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mr. M.T.Olowolafe, president of the Environmental Task Force in all the 16 Local Government Areas and Mrs. O.O. Kayode-Ojo, Director of Administration and Supply, Ministry of Environment.

    Others are Kunle Olofintuyi of the National Orientation Agency, Taiwo Omoniyi of Ekiti State Hoteliers Association, Tope Babalola of the Ministry of Information, Youth and Sports, Tunde Balogun, the Director of Environmental Health and Sanitation, Oyeleye of NISD and representative of the Ekiti State Police Command.

  • Smokers risk six-month jail for lighting up in public

    Smokers risk six-month jail for lighting up in public

    Residents who smoke in non-smoking designated areas will pay N50,000 fine, get six months’ imprisonment or both punishment, if the new Tobacco Control Bill 2014 gets the nod of the National Assembly.

    The Minister of Heath, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, spoke yesterday on the Bill when he addressed State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, which was presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The minister said the FEC approved the Draft Tobacco Control Bill, 2014, which would be forwarded to the National Assembly for consideration and passage.

    Companies that infringe on the Bill when passed into law, he said, would pay between N1 million and N5 million fine and their chief executives could additionally be imprisoned for one or two years.

    Chukwu said: “The major ingredients of the Bill is that there are stiff penalties for individuals. For instance, individuals who run foul of what will eventually become the National Tobacco Control Act 2014, may pay a fine of N50,000. That is, for someone who goes to a place clearly designated non-smoking area. The judge could either give you an option of fine or combine it with imprisonment of up to six months.”

  • Heavy smokers can be successful lung donor candidates

    YOU might think that heavy smokers make for bad lung donors. But a new a study finds donors who smoked more than a pack of cigarettes a day for more than 20 years were strong candidates for double lung transplant donors.

    It has been found that the patients who received the smokers’ lungs had similar short and medium term survival rates as those who received lungs from people who did not smoke heavily, however, tended to stay in the hospital for a few days longer for recovery. Over a two-year span, scientists found that lung function and death rates in recipients who had received heavy smoking donor lungs was similar to those who received healthier lungs.

    As the number of people in need for double lung transplants has grown, doctors have had to expand the donor pool. According to Dr. Sharven Taghavi, lead author of the study and a surgical resident at Temple University, “Historically, these smoking donors were excluded. They were generally considered to be less than ideal.

    “But some patients are in a very dire situation. They may not have the time to wait, so they have to use the lungs that are available.”