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.

SOURCE

Smokers within Aso Rock, National Assembly premises face prosecution

Written by Christian Okeke

When the bill on tobacco smoking currently with the National Assembly is passed and signed into law, people who smoke in public places, including the Aso Rock and National Assembly premises will be arrested and prosecuted.
The bill had already passed second reading in the Senate and was sponsored to facilitate the enforcement of the ban on tobacco smoking in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, placed by the regime of Dr. Aliyu Modibbo Umar as FCT Minister.
Answering a specific question during the special press conference to commemorate the 2010 World No Tobacco Day in Abuja, the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, disclosed that the Aso Villa and the National Assembly premises were classified as public places, saying, that, “No smoking is no smoking.
Smoking in all public places is prohibited.”
The theme of this year’s event is “Gender and tobacco”, with an emphasis on marketing to women.
The minister, who was represented by the Secretary in charge of Health and Human Services Secretariat in the FCTA, Dr Precious Gbeneol, however, noted that without the law being passed, it would be impossible to enforce the no smoking ban.
He said, “It is difficult at this point to go and pick somebody smoking in the public place without any law to back your action.”
Senator Mohammed urged the federal lawmakers to facilitate the passage of the bill to ensure that enforcement of the ban was fully carried out to its logical conclusion and disclosed that some areas were soon to be marked out as no smoking zones.

SOURCE

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.

SOURCE

Minister to ban smoking in Aso Rock, NASS, other places

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA—MINISTER of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, Senator Bala Mohammed disclosed yesterday that arrangements have been concluded to ban smoking in Aso Rock Presidential Villa, the National Assembly Complex, the Federal Secretariat Complex, his office and other public buildings, as well as parks in the nation’s capital city.
The Minister who noted that no place was above the law, as well as individual persons no matter how highly placed the person might be, warned that he was prepared to bring those who break the law to book, adding, “nobody is above the law, if you commit an offence, you will face the full wrath of the law whether in high places, a law is a law, the citizens must abide by it. Cigarette smoking is a big risk to us, not only to the person, but those around us.”
Addressing newsmen yesterday as part of activities to mark this year’s No Tobacco Smoking Day, Senator Bala Mohammed who appealed to members of the National Assembly to pass the Anti-Smoking Bill to enable authorities enforce the ban on smoking in public places, stressed that all these are designed to intensify the fight against smoking.
The Minister who spoke through the FCT Secretary of Health and Human Services, Precious Kalamba Gbeneol said with the right political will, the anti-smoking laws will be effectively enforced, just as he lamented that the Tobacco Control Act of 1990 which prescribes a fine of N200 for public smoking was already obsolete and inadequate to address the problem.

SOURCE