A non-government organisation, NGO, based in Ogba, Lagos State, Environmental Rights Action, has called on the National Assembly to pass the National Tobacco Control Bill into law without further delay.
Addressing a press conference to mark the 10th International Week of Resistance Against Tobacco in Lagos on Monday, the NGO’s director of corporate accountability compaigns, Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi accused a particular tobacco firm which controls about 80 per cent of the market of continued threat and misleading the yoouth into consumption of tobacco.
Akinbode claiemd that the tobacco company arranged secret smoking parties in different parts of Nigeria especially in Ajegunle and Victoria Island in Lagos State. He said the company was planning more tobacco smoking parties during the Yuletide from November this year.
Akinbode said the tobacco companies have been lobbying political office holders with partnership on public health issues, pretending to help farmers, retailers in order to frustrate the passage of the law on tobacco control.
“It is important that while youth smoking continues to be on the increase, tobacco companies continues to addict our youth they organise all over the country yet the tobacco control bill is presently lying idle before the NASS,” Akinbode regretted. He urged members of the NASS to be wary of the tobacco companies before they kill more of our youth through uncontrolled consumption of tobacco.
