By; TINA PHINEAS, Yola
It is an undisputed fact that Tobacco consumption has remain one of the leading causes of preventable death globally.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has lamented that it is responsible for over six million death worldwide, warning that if nothing is done to reverse the trend, about eight million people would die annually by 2030.
Auwal Musa Ibrahim, the Executive Director of Civil Society
Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC) made this revealing disclosure at a project on “Supporting Effective Tobacco Control in Nigeria” in Yola, the Adamawa state capital.
According to him, the project which is supported by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), was in response to the harmful effects of tobacco use which has made several countries to implement stringent control measures on consumption and advertisement.
Ibrahim who was represented by the CISLAC Senior Program Manager Mr. Okeke Anya, maintained that in May 2015, the Federal Government signed the National Tobacco Control Act into law.
“This new legislature was the outcome of a long and hard struggle by both state and Non State Actors (NSAs) working in the area of tobacco control in the country in order to ensure that Nigerians are adequately protected from the awful effects that arise from the intake of tobacco product directly or indirectly,” Anya explained.
He stated further that, these project is geared toward sensitizing and building capacities of both state and NSAs towards strengthening tobacco control efforts in Nigeria and also promote effective implementation of the National Tobacco Control Act.
Anya therefore call upon Nigerians to familiarize themselves with the Acts and support its implementation.
“Don’t sit down and say I don’t smoke so I have no business with this project, the inherit implication of second hand smoking is the same with that of direct smoking, thus whether you smoke or not, it is our collective responsibility to create awareness” He stated
Ruben Onde Yohanna a participant at the meeting said the project has broaden his knowledge about the dangers of tobacco consumption.
Yohanna, the chairman of Laka Youth Association maintained that creating awareness is a must.
“We need to adopt global best practice in control of Tobacco smoking and also encourage the adoption of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control,” he stated.
