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Adamu Abuh
KANO State Government yesterday accused a consortium of tobacco firms of applying delay tactics to avoid punishment over the harm their products inflict on the citizenry.
The state government had taken a cue from Lagos State by initiating a N1.6 trillion compensation suit against British-American Tobacco (BAT) Nigeria Limited, International Tobacco Limited and four others for health hazards resulting from cigarette smoking in the most populous northern state.
Kano State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Aliyu Umar, had in the suit named other defendants to include British-American Tobacco Plc, British-American Tobacco (Investment) Limited, Phillip Morris International and Tobacco Institute.
When the matter came up yesterday before a Kano High Court Judge, Wada Rano, an attorney to the state government, Mr. Babatunde Iruekera, accused the tobacco firms of applying various technicalities to stall proceedings on the matter.
Iruekera specifically opposed an oral application seeking the replacement of Phillip Morris International with Phillip Morris International Management as the fifth defendant in the suit.
Irukera wondered why counsel to the tobacco firms who were supposed to address pending issues on the suit chose to come up with a new strategy of causing delay in hearing the case.
"I have said that you cannot abuse the legal process. You also cannot exploit the legal process. You cannot hijack court process for the purpose of gaining undue advantage over an adversary. The court is here to do substantial justice and there must be a level-playing field for all parties.
"Each time the plaintiffs respond, what they do is to withdraw back to the ground zero and initiate another process," Iruekera argued while urging the Judge to check the antics of the tobacco firms' counsel.
Lead counsel to the tobacco firms, E.O. Sofunde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), argued that the move to substitute the fifth defendant is in line with the wishes of his client.
Citing Njemanje vs Shell BP Port Harcourt, 1966, Nigerian Law Report, he asserted that the initiative is anti-thetical to the provision of the law.
Justice Rano thereby adjourned the matter to July 23 for ruling and continuation of proceedings.
JUSTICE Bukola Adebiyi of the Lagos High Court, Igbosere, has fixed July 3, 2009 to rule on preliminary objections filed by British America Tobacco (Investment) Limited and Philip Morris International on whether they could be sued by the Lagos State Government and Environmental Right Action (ERA).
Environmental Right Action 
KANO State Government yesterday accused a consortium of tobacco firms of applying delay tactics to avoid punishment over the harm their products inflict on the citizenry.
Following frightening statistics which indicateas that Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of deaths in the world which puts more than five million people on the death row every year, surpassing HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis combined, the Minister of Health, Professor Babatunde Osotimehin, has declared war on tobacco. 
I don’t want to talk about (sobbing). My dad is the reason I can never smoke or marry somebody who smokes. I don’t want to talk about my dad (crying). My dad didn’t die by accident. He died of bronchitis. That is what you get when you smoke for too long. He lungs were infected. In this industry, most people feel they have to smoke to be hip.I was shocked when someone called me to say they wrote that I smoke. I had a good laugh. I could do any other thing but smoking is something I will never do because it killed my dad. Those close to me that smoke don’t feel comfortable doing it around me. Smoking is not something people can give up for you. My dad was still smoking while undergoing treatment because it was an addiction. My dad died at 57 but he smoked actively for 35 years. The man smoked a major part of his life. I always argued with him not to smoke. If you presented your reasons against smoking, he would tell you he had been smoking before you were born."
THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has recognised former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Aliyu Mddibo, with a Special Director-General Award for... his contributions to tobacco control in Africa.
ealth in Mumbai India.
Environmental Right Action/Friends of the Earth (ERA/FOEI) commemorates the WNTD 2009 with the theme "Tobacco Health Warnings". This is as appear on packs of cigarettes and believed to be the strongest defences against the global epidemic of tobacco.
discourage smoking. Nigeria is a signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and therefore cannot remain indifference while other signatory countries are adopting pictorial warnings to save lives. Picture-based health warnings on tobacco packages have been found to work in countries like Canada, Brazil, Singapore and Thailand. The World Health Organisation particularly approves of tobacco health warnings that contain both pictures and words because they are the most effective at convincing people to quit. This according to him contrast with the glamorous cigarette packaging on display in Nigeria.
Convention Alliance (FCA) speaking on the occassion insists that, "Nigeria must act now as a mark of respect for International Agreement contained under Article 11 of the FCTC, in which parties agree to require all packages of tobacco products to carry Pictorial health warnings describing the harmful effects of tobacco use, or other appropriate messages. This information "should be 50percent or more of the principal display areas but shall be no less than 30percent of the display. He explains "principal display areas" as the front and the back of most cigarette packs. “We are aware the Nigeria Senate is under pressure from British American Tobacco (BAT) and other tobacco companies over the current Tobacco control Bill before its health committee, but we urge the Senate to keep to its promise to legislate to protect its citizens. ” He added.