Wednesday, 5 February 2014
While applauding the Lagos State House of Assembly for recently passing the bill banning smoking in public places in the state, some groups have solicited the same speedy feat to be repeated at the federal level where the National Tobacco Control Bill (NTCB) is yet to be given the requisite attention and pride of place.
The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) presented a joint statement to the media on the urgency for the lawmakers at the national level to prioritise the health and wellness of the citizens by speeding up work on the Bill to make it law. They also advised the lawmakers to put aside party sentiments and personal ambitions in order to confront a common challenge, which the tobacco menace poses to the nation.
The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) presented a joint statement to the media on the urgency for the lawmakers at the national level to prioritise the health and wellness of the citizens by speeding up work on the Bill to make it law. They also advised the lawmakers to put aside party sentiments and personal ambitions in order to confront a common challenge, which the tobacco menace poses to the nation.
For them, the visibility that British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) intended to create by ingratiating with elected representatives is proof that the company is unrelenting in its ploy to pull wool over the eyes of Nigerians. The company, it said is now oiling its so-called corporate social responsibility initiatives which are to effectively thwart legislation that would regulate the marketing, sale and product of its lethal products in Nigeria.
“The passage of the tobacco control bill and its implementation will save us from further deaths and the health complications of the young generation. In all ramifications, the bill will be a vital legislation to hold the tobacco companies accountable for their deception,” it he added.
Chronicling the state of the bill which have passed the first and second reading and is awaiting public hearing after work is done by the Joint Committee on Justice and Health, the Director, Corporate Accountability, ERA/FoEN, Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi announced that everyone is awaiting the fast tracking in the mode of the legislation, adding that efforts should be made for the legislators to be weary of the antics employed by the tobacco companies which is meant to stall any of such bills from becoming law. For him, Nigeria is obligated by the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) which Nigeria signed in 2004 to domesticate those provisions of the bill which are to: ban all tobacco adverts and promotion, hundred percent smoke-free policies, ban of sales to minors, taxation issues and improvement on several other measures like education and public awareness etc.
“We’ve seen a lot of African countries initiating tobacco control laws. Every country is now moving to protect their citizens from the hazards of tobacco smoking. Nigeria is the last frontier for tobacco control on the continent, the last war front. There is no cigarette manufacturing plant again almost across the West African belt. They are having them in Nigeria. It’s no doubt that the industry is putting the most outrageous efforts. For them, the market is huge and the backlash is also huge on both sides. If Nigeria gets it right, the entire region will get it right,” he stated.
Further acknowledging the various efforts made by different state governments in putting up laws to protect citizens in their various states and constituencies, the co-ordinator, Coalition Against Tobacco, Onaolapo Olatoyosi in her remarks complained on why such pragmatic actions isn’t felt at the federal level. Reeling out the various actions by their group at the federal level which dates back to 2006, Olatoyosi noted that it was unfortunate that a lot of politics had come first against the health and lives of the masses.
