NIGERIA TOBACCO CONTROL BILL - AWAITING PRESIDENTIAL ASSENT

Reps stop work on PIB, pass tobacco bill

Senate, ACN ask Jonathan to reposition security agencies

 THE House of Representatives yesterday at plenary session stopped further consideration of the report submitted by its joint Committee on Petroleum (Upstream and Downstream) Gas Resources and Justice on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

But the House passed the Tobacco Control Bill, a move hailed by the Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF) and activists under the aegis of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) that described the passage as a milestone in the history of public health in the country.
The passage of the Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora-led sponsored Bill by both Houses of Assembly, following similar passage by the Senate on March 15, 2011, has also placed Nigeria on the global map of countries that have domesticated the Frame-work Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), ERA/FoEN Director of Corporate Accountability and Administration, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said in a statement.

The development came as humanity marked the World No Tobacco Day 2011 (WNTD) yesterday.
The NHF said the Bill will ensure the reversal of increasing deaths and the protection of non-smoking public from the dangers associated with cigarette smoking, and urged President Goodluck Jonathan to speedily assent to the Bill so that it can become a law.


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ERA lauds Reps over passage of Tobacco Bill

•As world celebrates tobacco treaty

ENVIRONMENTAL Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has commended the House of Representatives for giving concurrent passage to the National Tobacco Control Bill, sponsored by Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, describing it as a milestone in the history of public health in the country.

The bill was passed by the Senate on March 15, but the House of Representatives yesterday passed it into law, through a concurred resolution.

The passage of the National Tobacco Control Bill by both houses of the National Assembly has also placed Nigeria on the global map of countries that have domesticated the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

ERA/FoEN’s Director of Corporate Accountability and Administration, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said: “We commend the forthrightness of the House of Reps for seizing the opportunity of this year’s commemoration of the World No Tobacco Day to give this nation a law with far-reaching consequences on our well being. Though this took long to come, we are in no doubt that this bill will stem the gale of tobacco-related deaths.

“We cheer the House of Reps and the honourable lawmakers who deemed it fit to stamp their feet in the annals of history by passing a bill which will reduce smoking and its attendant health risks. This House of Reps will also be remembered for taking a bold step that will safeguard the health of Nigerians today and in the future.”

He, however, urged President Goodluck Jonathan to quickly append his signature to the Tobacco Law and to promptly constitute a National Tobacco Control Committee, which would guide its enforcement.

The National Tobacco Control Bill, when signed into law by the President, will repeal the Tobacco Control Smoking Act of 1990, which was promulgated under the military and championed by former Health Minister, the late Prof. Olikoye Ransome-Kuti.

Oluwafemi said that the current bill was a comprehensive law providing for regulations of supply and demand measures of tobacco products.

Meanwhile, the global community yesterday commemorated the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) with this year’s focus on a new International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ report exposing Big Tobacco’s tactics to interfering with world’s first public health and corporate accountability treaty.

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Group commends lawmakers over passage of Tobacco Bill

The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), a nongovernmental organisation (NGO), has commended the concurrent passage of the National Tobacco Control Bill by the House of Representatives on Tuesday. It described as a milestone in the history of public health in Nigeria.

As the world marked the World No Tobacco Day on the 31st of May, the Lower House gave concurrent passage to the bill, which was sponsored by Olorunnimbe Mamora (ACN - Lagos East) and had been passed by the Senate on March 15, 2011.

A laudable move

The passage of the bill by both Houses has also placed Nigeria on the global map of countries that have domesticated the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the group pointed out.

“We commend the forthrightness of the House of Reps for seizing the opportunity of this year’s commemoration of the World No Tobacco Day to give this nation a law with far-reaching consequences on our wellbeing,” said Akinbode Oluwafemi, ERA/FoEN’s director of corporate accountability & administration.

“Though this took long to come, we are in no doubt that this bill will stem the gale of tobacco-related deaths,” continued Mr Oluwafemi. “We cheer the House of Reps and the honourable lawmakers who deemed it fit to stamp their feet in the annals of history by passing a bill which will reduce smoking and its attendant health risks.

“This House of Reps will also be remembered for taking a bold step that will safeguard the health of Nigerians today and in the future,” Mr Oluwafemi added.

He, however, urged the President to append his signature without delay to the Tobacco Law and also see to the prompt constitution of a National Tobacco Control Committee to guide its enforcement.

The National Tobacco Control Bill repeals the Tobacco Control Smoking Act of 1990, which was promulgated under the military and championed by former health minister, late Olikoye Ransome Kuti. The current bill is a comprehensive law providing for regulations of supply and demand measures relating to tobacco products.

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Reps pass National Tobacco Control Bill

•Environmentalists urge Jonathan to assent bill 

The House of Representatives yesterday gave concurrent passage to the National Tobacco Control Bill.

The passage, which coincided with the World No Tobacco Day, was a wholesale adoption of the bill as passed by the Senate on March 15.

The bill sponsored by Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora is a domestication of the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) ratified by the country.

When signed into law, it bans illicit trade in tobacco products; sales to and by minors; and support for economically viable alternative activities.

It also offers protection of public health policies from the vested interests of the tobacco industry; protection of the environment; national coordinating mechanism; international cooperation, reporting and exchange of information and institutional arrangements.

In a statement the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) commended the concurrent passage of the bill, describing it as a milestone in the history of public health in Nigeria.

ERA/FoEN Director of Corporate Accountability & Administration, Akinbode Oluwafemi urged President Goodluck Jonathan to sign the bill into law.

He said: " This House of Representatives will be remembered for taking a bold step that will safeguard the health of Nigerians today and in the future."

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Tobacco epidemic may kill 6 million people –WHO

The World Health Organisation has estimated that about six million people will die this year from tobacco smoking including 600,000 non-smokers who will die from exposure to tobacco smoke.

In a news statement issued by the global body on Monday as part of activities to mark the World NO Tobacco Day on Tuesday, the organisation also warned that the tobacco epidemic could kill eight million and half of all tobacco users would eventually die of tobacco related disease.

The WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, noted that although the organisation had recorded some success with its Framework Convention on Tobacco Control , one of the challenges remained for the public health treaty to reach its full potential as the world’s most powerful tobacco control tool.

Chan said, “More needs to be done for the treaty to achieve its full potential. It is not enough to become a party to the treaty. Countries must also pass, or strengthen the necessary implementing legislation and then rigorously enforce it. The treaty’s ultimate success against the tobacco industry depends on the extent to which the parties meet all of their obligations,”

Meanwhile, a non-governmental organisation, Environmental Rights Action of Nigeria, has ccommended the House of Representatives for adopting the National Tobacco Control Bill on Tuesday.

According to the Director of ERA, Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi, the Senate had passed the Bill since March 15 and the concurrent passage from the lawmakers would ensure that it became a law when the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, accents to the Bill.

Oluwafemi, who spoke in Lagos On Tuesday in celebration of the World No Tobacco Day programme with the theme, “Framework Convention on Tobacco Control,” said the final passage of the Bill would would help fight tobacco addiction.

“The Bill is a veritable tool that will help Nigeria to fight a deadly addiction, thereby protecting many lives and saving costs in Medicare.”

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Activists seek control law as World marks No Tobacco Day

NIGERIA would make a significant statement on global environmental right to good health, if the House of Representatives concurrently pass the National Tobacco Control Bill (NTCB) today to commemorate the “World No Tobacco Day” (WNTD) 2011, according to environment activists.

The stakeholders said the law would mark the implementation of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) treaty, which reaffirmed the right of all people to highest standard of health and regulatory strategy at addressing addictive substances.

The activists, under the aegis of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) said in Lagos yesterday that the passage of the bill would mark a wonderful gift to all Nigerians and the entire public health community globally.

In a statement to mark the day, ERA/FoEN wrote: “As we celebrate the WNTD, we call on the respected honourable members of the House of Representatives to again rise to the occasion of this national call to service and ensure that the fundamentals of governance, which is the protection of the health and provision of welfare and security to the people, is enforced.”

Programme Manager ERA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, added that apart from the “five-minute” task before the House of Representatives; “we are also urging immediate accent by the President, prompt constitution of the National Tobacco Control Committee, mass education of the citizen as regards their rights and obligation as regards the law.”

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