FCT tasks N’Assembly on Smoking Bill

From Terhemba Daka, Abuja

THE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has called on the National Assembly to expedite action on the passage of the bill on tobacco smoking to aid it in the fight against smoking in public places in the territory.

The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, on Tuesday declared that unless the parliament passes the of legislation into law, the administration’s avowed commitment to stopping smoking in public places in the nation’s capital would be a ruse. “The passage of the bill before the National Assembly will give us the necessary impetus and backing for the enforcement”, he said. Mohammed, who decried the prevalence of smokers in spite of the ban on tobacco smoking in Abuja by the administration, spoke at a press conference to commemorate the 2010 World No Tobacco Day, which was held in Abuja yesterday.

Represented by the Federal Capital Territory Secretary for Health and Human Services, Dr. Precious Gbeneol, the minister stressed that without the anti-tobacco law in place, the ban on smoking in the capital territory cannot be effectively enforced.

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FCT to designate Presidential Villa, SGF Office no-smoking zones

-Yekeen Nurudeen

AS the world marked the anti-smoking day yesterday, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, has spoken of plans to designate certain places as no-smoking areas.
He stated that the step was in furtherance of his administration’s ban on smoking in public places within the FCT.
Among the places to be designated no-smoking areas are: the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Office of the Secretary to Federal Government, the National Assembly and other top government offices.
Speaking at a press briefing to commemorate the “2010 World No Tobacco Day,” the minister explained that the no-smoking ban bill before the National Assembly, when passed, would give the needed bites to the enforcement of the ban in the FCT.
Mohammed, who spoke through the FCT Secretary for Health and Human Services, Dr. Precious Gbenoi, stated that without the bill, which he noted, will soon scale the second reading in the National Assembly, the FCT administration would not be able to fully enforce the ban on smoking in public places.
“We cannot completely and fully arrest people smoking in public places without the law being passed. It is expected that the bill will pass the second reading at the National Assembly, but we will continue to enlighten the people on the dangers of smoking to the smokers and the passive smokers,” he said.
He appealed to the National Assembly to hasten the passage of the bill into law, noting that the FCT administration would not relent in its campaign against tobacco smoking by all categories of people.

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