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Sunday, June 6, 2010

Say no to smoking, women urged

By Adenike Ashogbon

The campaign against tobacco received a boost recently when the Environmental Rights Action and Friends of the Earth (ERA/FoEN) organized a symposium to sensitize the public, especially the female folks about tobacco and its many side effects.
Tagged: ‘Gender and Tobacco with an Emphasis on Marketing to Women’, the event was aimed at drawing global attention to the debilitating ailments caused by tobacco in Nigeria and also to call on the National Assembly to fast track the passage of the National Tobacco Control Rights as well as smoke-free laws to protect non-smokers, including women.
Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi, the Programme Manager for ERA/FoEN who spoke on the negative side effects of smoking, urged Nigerians, especially the female folks to say no to any form of deceitful marketing of cigarette as this could pose dire consequences on their physical and mental well-being.
Speaking in the same vein, Dr. (Mrs.) Kemi Odukoya of the Lagos State Teaching Hospital, observed that: "women may find it more difficult to quit smoking than men and they are at higher risk of illness.