10 Million People To Die From Tobacco Consumption By 2015 – CISLAC

 

he director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Mr Akinbode Oluwafemi has said that about 10 million people may die from tobacco if the rising consumption trend is not controlled.

Mr Oluwafemi who made this call in Abuja lamented the high rate of smoking in Nigeria due to weak control measures.

According to him, tobacco is the only legally available product which kills more than half of its users and as speculated by Scientists, it is a major threat to public health.

 “Tobacco currently kills about 6 million people annually and if the current trend continues, that figure will climb to 10 million a year by 2015. This is not the only adverse effects of tobacco on the nation as recent statistics has shown that the cost of tobacco smoking to the Nigerian economy in terms of losses to medical treatments is at US$591 million annually. More so, a recent survey conducted by the Federal Ministry of Health revealed that over 250,000 Nigerians are diagnosed with cancer every year which also is a result of tobacco consumption,” he said.

Emphasizing the need for a national tobacco control bill, the sub-regional coordinator, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, West Africa, Mrs Hilda Ochefu narrated the efforts of tobacco manufacturing companies to exploit such nations as Nigeria and Indonesia due to weak tobacco control bill.

“Over the years, there have been stringent laws in the western part of the world. Due to the nature of these laws on the tobacco manufacturing companies, they are presently looking for new countries as Nigeria and even Indonesia as new playgrounds. This is because in these countries, it is either that there are no laws at all regulating them or there is weak implementation of existing laws. This is what we are strongly kicking against.

“We want to save our teens from being initiated as new consumers of tobacco because when these children become used to its consumption, they will become lifetime smokers. Thus, in Nigeria and Africa as a whole, we want to ensure strong tobacco laws that will reduce its consumption,” she stated.

The coalition of civil societies in Nigeria has therefore called for the passage of a tobacco control bill to control death tobacco.

 

 

he director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Mr Akinbode Oluwafemi has said that about 10 million people may die from tobacco if the rising consumption trend is not controlled.
Mr Oluwafemi who made this call in Abuja lamented the high rate of smoking in Nigeria due to weak control measures.
According to him, tobacco is the only legally available product which kills more than half of its users and as speculated by Scientists, it is a major threat to public health.
- See more at: http://aitonline.tv/post-10_million_people_to_die_from_tobacco_consumption_by_2015_____cislac#sthash.c81UnkwM.dpuf

he director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Mr Akinbode Oluwafemi has said that about 10 million people may die from tobacco if the rising consumption trend is not controlled.
Mr Oluwafemi who made this call in Abuja lamented the high rate of smoking in Nigeria due to weak control measures.
According to him, tobacco is the only legally available product which kills more than half of its users and as speculated by Scientists, it is a major threat to public health.
- See more at: http://aitonline.tv/post-10_million_people_to_die_from_tobacco_consumption_by_2015_____cislac#sthash.c81UnkwM.dpuf