Intrigues stall passage of tobacco control bill

INTRIGUES among key officials of the Federal Ministries of Health, Trade and Investment, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and a tobacco-producing firm have been fingered in the non-passage of National Tobacco Control Bill (NTCB), a year after the National Assembly passed it.

The Guardian learnt that President Goodluck Jonathan, whose assent is required for the bill to become law, is yet to receive the document.

And ahead of the 2012 World No Tobacco Day holding this week, some activists have doubted government’s commitment to Nigerians’ right to a healthy environment. They claimed that Nigeria lags behind in the implementation of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

It was learnt that the bill had become a plaything between the ministries of Health and Trade and Investment.

In fact, the Federal Ministry of Health, which is named the chief implementation agency of the bill, is alleged to have failed in sending the bill to the President for assent.

There were also speculations that a tobacco manufacturing firm was arm-twisting some officials of SON and the Ministry of Trade and Investment to prevent the bill from being passed in its current form.

“The tobacco industry is in disagreement with two sections of the bill, which the operators want expunged. One of the sections is the non-inclusion of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) in the membership of the National Tobacco Control Committee as provided in the bill.

“The SON is also in disagreement with some of the oversight functions it was allotted in the bill. SON wants to be the chief implementation agency for the bill,” a source said.

While waiting for clarity on the status of the bill, activists under the aegis of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), have urged the minister of health to initiate the processes towards the enforcement of pictorial warnings on cigarette packs sold in Nigeria.

The group noted that Nigeria was behind in the implementation of tobacco control measures, one of which is the enforcement of pictorial warnings on cigarette packs as obtained in five of the world’s eight largest countries.

Director, Corporate Accountability Campaigns of ERA/FoEN, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said: “Pictorial warnings have been proven as one of the most effective tools to tackling the glamourisation of tobacco products; effectively communicate the health impacts of smoking and help to reduce consumption and its associated hazards.

“We believe strongly that the health minister should commence all processes that would lead to the enforcement of pictorial warnings on cigarette packs. The first step is for the minister to work for the presidential assent of the National Tobacco Control Bill,” he said.

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Jonathan urged to sign Tobacco Bill

President Goodluck Jonathan

The Environmental Rights Action (ERA) has appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to sign the National Tobacco Control Bill into law.

The group said it would do the country good as governments and public health advocates plan towards this year’s World No Tobacco Day on May 31.  

In a statement  issued in Lagos by its Director, Corporate Accountability and Administration, Akinbode Oluwafemi, the organisation urged  Jonathan to sign the  Bill to celebrate the global event.

ERA/FoEN also urged Health Minister Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu to get the president to assent to the Bill.

 Oluwafemi said: “Countries all over the world have made specific and strategic efforts to combat the dangers of smoking especially among the youths by putting laws in place to regulate the production and marketing of tobacco products. The enactment of national laws and the domestication of the World Health’s Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) are singular efforts in this direction.

“Nigeria has made giant strides in fulfilling our international obligations by attempting to domesticate the FCTC through the National Tobacco Control Bill, but we are afraid these gains that we have worked for as civil society organizations, legislators and the Ministry of Health will be reversed if the President does not sign this bill to commemorate this year’s WNTD.

“The theme for this year, Preventing Industry Interference in Tobacco Control policies is very instructive because Nigerians are worried that the bill which was passed with overwhelming public support is yet to be signed into law by the President. This is a bill that would have direct impact on Nigerians. It is the dividend of democracy for Nigerians.”

Akinbode said: “ The President cannot allow the tobacco industry to influence and derail his transformation agenda by providing qualitative healthcare for Nigerians. The whole world is waiting for Nigeria, the African continent is awaiting our leadership.”

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Tobacco bill: ERA/FoEN demands presidential assent

As governments and public health advocates plan towards this year’s World No Tobacco Day (May 31) the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria has sent a strong appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan to use this year’s commemoration to sign the across the globe Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) to assent to the recently passed National Tobacco Control Bill.

In a press release issued in Lagos and signed by ERA/FoEN Director, Corporate Accountability & Administration, Akinbode Oluwafemi, the organisation urged President Jonathan to sign the National Tobacco Bill (NTCB) to celebrate the global event.
ERA/FoEN also asked the Health Minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu to take the lead in the processes that will lead to the signing of the bill ahead of the World No Tobacco Day.
The2012 WNTD has as theme: Industry Interference, and urges government to protect their public health policies from vested and other tobacco industry interests.
Akinbode Oluwafemi said: “Nigeria has made giant strides in fulfilling our international obligations by attempting to domesticate the FCTC through the National Tobacco Control Bill, but we are afraid these gains that we have worked for as civil society organizations, legislators and the Ministry of Health will be reversed if the President does not sign this bill to commemorate this year’s WNTD.”

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Group urges President Jonathan to sign Tobacco Bill

 President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan 

The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth advises President Goodluck Jonathan to sign the tobacco control bill into law

As governments and public health advocates plan towards this year’s World No Tobacco Day on May 31st, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has sent a strong appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan to use this year’s commemoration to sign the recently passed National Tobacco Control Bill into law.

In a statement issued on Monday in Lagos and signed by Akinbode Oluwafemi, ERA/FoEN's Director, Corporate Accountability & Administration, the group urged President Jonathan to sign the National Tobacco Control Bill (NTCB) to celebrate the global event.

The NTCB, sponsored by Olorunimbe Mamora, was passed by the sixth session of the National Assembly on May 31, 2011. It seeks to regulate the manufacture, sale and marketing of tobacco products in Nigeria.

“Countries all over the world have made specific and strategic efforts to combat the dangers of smoking especially among the youths by putting laws in place to regulate the production and marketing of tobacco products,” said Mr. Oluwafemi.

“The enactment of national laws and the domestication of the World Health’s Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) are singular efforts in this direction,” he added.

“Nigeria has made giant strides in fulfilling our international obligations by attempting to domesticate the FCTC through the National Tobacco Control Bill, but we are afraid these gains that we have worked for as civil society organizations, legislators and the Ministry of Health will be reversed if the President does not sign this bill to commemorate this year’s World No Tobacco Day.”

The theme of this year's event ‘Preventing Industry Interference in Tobacco Control policies’ is instructive because Nigerians are worried that the bill which was passed with overwhelming public support is yet to be signed into law by the President, the group noted.

“This is a bill that would have direct impact on Nigerians. It is the dividend of democracy for Nigerians,” Mr. Oluwafemi said.

The group also called on the President to ensure that Nigeria does not renege on its international commitments to the FCTC, “as this could damage the country’s international reputation” while it can do “irreparable damage” in the country’s public health.

“We call on President Jonathan to demand today for the National Tobacco Control Bill.

“The President cannot allow the tobacco industry to influence and derail his transformation agenda by providing qualitative healthcare for Nigerians.

The whole world is waiting for Nigeria; the African continent is awaiting our leadership. The President should provide this leadership,” Mr. Oluwafemi said.

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Group demands Jonathan’s assent on tobacco bill

The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria has appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to use this year’s commemoration of the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) on May 31, to sign the recently passed National Tobacco Control Bill into law.In a statement issued in Lagos and signed by ERA/FoEN Director, Corporate Accountability and Administration, Akinbode Oluwafemi, the group also asked the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu to take the lead in the processes that will ensure that the bill becomes law.

The group said: “Countries all over the world have made specific and strategic efforts to combat the dangers of smoking especially among the youths by putting laws in place to regulate the production and marketing of tobacco products. The enactment of national laws and the domestication of the World Health’s Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) are singular efforts in this direction.

“Nigeria has made gi-ant strides in fulfilling our international obligations by attempting to domesticate the FCTC through the National Tobacco Control Bill, but we are afraid these gains that we have worked for as civil society organisations, legislators and the Ministry of Health will be reversed if the President does not sign this bill to commemorate this year’s WNTD.”

He explained that the theme for this year’s event: “Preventing Industry Inter-ference in Tobacco Control policies,” is very instruc-tive because Nigerians are worried that the bill which was passed with over-whelming public support is yet to be signed into law by the President.

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Shisha Smoking: The Evil Within

It has an Arabian origin, then travelled through the western world. Shisha has arrived Nigeria and is gradually gaining presence. More common in the northern region of the country than other parts, it can mostly be found in bars, night clubs and can also be personally owned. Contrary to what many see as benefits involved in shisha smoking, research findings are very alarming, Amarachi Egbeogu writes.

Many may find the word Shisha very strange, wondering what it is. Shisha, also known as Hookah, is a flavored tobacco which is smoked via a long pipe connected to an exotic-looking vessel filled with water.

Shisha smoking is becoming a common sight especially in the city of Abuja. Its awareness is more in this part of the country than in the south. Once the preserve of older men from the countries it originated from, shisha smoking is the latest trend to hit parties, bars, night clubs and lounges.

The flavoured tobacco water pipe smoking is particularly fashionable among young people today and has now become a trendy, multicultural activity particularly with students and youths.

Shisha is believed to be best 'enjoyed' in a group, having a session that can last over an hour.

Anna, an undergraduate of University of Abuja, said she enjoys smoking shisha with friends. Asked if she can smoke it alone, she replied “No, I smoke shisha in the company of friends.”  She went further to say that she finds the act very soothing and also very exciting.  “I love the nice fruity flavours; it is very soothing and also very safe” she stated.

Just like Anna, Ibrahim, a civil servant who lives in Kaduna is a shisha smoker. Ibrahim says he quit smoking cigarettes four years ago and started smoking it late last year. Ignorant of the health hazards associated with the smoking of shisha, Ibrahim claimed that it is harmless. “Shisha is really cool and unlike cigarettes, I get to smoke it occasionally.” Ibrahim mentioned that he has a shisha vessel which he entertains friends with when they visit.

Research shows that contrary to popular belief, shisha is not safer than smoking cigarettes. It usually contains tobacco and is therefore linked to the same serious life-threatening illnesses as cigarettes, such as heart disease, lung cancer, respiratory disease and problems in pregnancy.

The worst part is that shisha smokers are exposed to more toxins than cigarette smokers, because they also breathe in smoke from the charcoal used to burn the tobacco – it’s like breathing deeply next to a smoky barbecue, something most of us try to avoid.

There are added risks with shisha because it is often smoked for far longer sessions than cigarettes. Smoking shisha is a leisurely, sociable activity that is done with friends and family. In fact, a typical shisha session lasts about an hour, which is significantly longer than the usual couple of minutes people take to smoke a cigarette.

Many people are unaware of the health risks from smoking the flavored tobacco, which can be as damaging as cigarettes.

Night clubs and bars offering the traditional Middle Eastern pipes have started springing up across the country.

Shisha smokers inhale tobacco with added flavorings or sweeteners through a vessel filled with water.

Although the water cools the smoke and makes it feel less "harsh", the tobacco can still cause ill health, including lung and mouth cancer. Because the smoke is cooler, some experts say people inhale it more deeply into their lungs, which increases the risks even further.

Some shisha bars do not use tobacco, rather they offer customers with flavored herbal mixtures; but the challenge with that is people may not know the difference.

In a statement by Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director at BHF during the course of this research, states: "Contrary to popular belief, shisha is not safer than smoking cigarettes. "Don't be duped by the sweet smell and wholesome-sounding fruity flavours. If you use shisha, you are a smoker and that means you are putting your health at risk.’’

A similar response was given by Dr Akin Orioke, a Nigerian doctor working with Julius Berger Construction Company, he said:  “shisha is filled with a lot of health hazards just like cigarettes. It can be more harmful than smoking cigarettes as a matter of fact, but most people feel more comfortable because it is smoked occasionally unlike cigarette smoking.”

Experts warn it can do more damage than cigarettes because users take more puffs of smoke. This is because a cigarette smoker typically takes between eight and 12 puffs, inhaling 0.5 to 0.6 liters of smoke. But during hour-long shisha sessions, smokers may take up to 200 drags, ranging from 0.15 to 1 litre of smoke each.

Shisha smoking is a growing concern because people are not aware of the risks involved like with cigarette smoking. The greater the exposure in terms of duration and amount smoked, the greater the risks to your health.

This is because, although shisha tobacco tastes nicer than cigarettes, it contains all the same toxicants known to cause lung cancer and heart disease.

So before you think of sucking that pipe, it is important you think about the dangers associated with the act.



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Smoking A growing pastime for Nigerian girls

Cigarette smoking in Nigeria used to be an exclusive preserve of the male gender in the past,  but with modernisation, it appears the trend is changing as Nigerian women, especially the youth, are now taking to smoking, writes TADE MAKINDE and BANJI ALUKO.

It was a Friday night, and expectedly, fun lovers-guys and ladies alike-gathered to have fun. The regulars were at hand—red lights, heart-shaking cacophony coming out of speakers and alcoholic drinks. Not that the scene was unusual. As a matter of fact, clubbing, or gathering together to enjoy music-spiced fun, is as old as civilisation itself. It is also a known fact that human nature abhors vacuum, something must spice living or else ‘it’ won’t be worth it.

However, clubbing and night parties in this part of the world were dominated by the male gender for a very long period.  The few women who made it to the club houses and the dance parties were regarded as the bad ones and they were few then. Majority of them were students of higher institutions who where kilometres away from the prying eyes of their parents. That was the age the number of guys in night parties more than quadruple that of girls who, most of the time, accompanied their boyfriends to the parties. Then, guys who brought ladies to night parties were regarded as “big boys”, while boys who managed to secure a dance with a lady would see it as an achievement.

Such was the dominance of the male gender at night parties and club houses some decades ago. The dominance also goes beyond the numerical dominance; guys were also in full control of the attendant activities that go with night gatherings such as drinking and smoking.

In fact, it was a taboo to see a lady smoking cigarette in the past. But with the passing of time, the popular saying that “what a man can do, a woman can do better” would later be used, albeit by Nigerian women, to challenge male dominance of fun, smoking, consumption of alcoholics and debauchery in general.

Nigerian ladies have risen to the challenge and are not showing any sign of waning.

Years ago, ladies that smoked and drank alcohol could be counted.  It was inviolable of sort to be seen with a stick of ‘stogie’.  But nowadays, more and more Nigerian young girls are taking up smoking and it is no more a surprise seeing girls smoking. The resentment many had for women cigarette smokers is gradually disappearing and girls are more determined to prove that they could do better in areas men had held sway.

Though the Nigerian society still resent female cigarette smokers, the club houses and drinking spots where many young girls now spend a considerable part of their time, don’t. The number of women—middle age and teenagers alike—in club houses these days is growing. And they are not just there to make up the numbers, they are key participants. It appears they don’t want to be left out of the fun that the male had maintained a lead over the years.

In clubs and drinking spots, they now have a presence that competes favourably with that of the male gender. Apart from this, they now thread on surfaces that used to be an exclusive preserve of men.

This position can be easily affirmed by a trip to night clubs in the major Nigerian cities. From the Sharia-dominated north to the largely Christian south, young ladies, especially from higher institutions of learning, boldly smoke, and guzzle liquor to show that “they belong.”

At a club house in Ibadan, a group of ladies, an admixture of teenagers and young adults, appeared out of the blues demanding for beers. Few minutes after, one of them brought out a packet of cigarette and a couple of them started smoking. Suddenly, the light went out and dimmed light from cigarette dotted the hall like a convergence of witches.

The above scenario will pale into insignificance if one visits a brothel or hotel where prostitutes regularly gather. These days, it now appears that cigarette smoking, at least, is a sine qua non for prostitution and without it, a woman cannot make it in the ‘old profession.’

Blessing, a teenager who only finished her secondary school education in 2010 told the reporter that she took to smoking last year because she saw a couple of her friends smoking. “I never thought I would smoke. Often, I see some girls do it and I actually dislike it.  But somehow, I have started smoking too,” she admitted.

Really, there have been grave concerns over the increasing rate at which women now smoke cigarette. The recently released statistics by the World Health Organisation (WHO) of an increasing global trend of women and girls who have taken to the deadly habit of tobacco smoking is scary. Of the 5.4 million victims that die every year, 1.5 million are girls and women. The report also stated that half of the 151 countries surveyed, approximately as many girls use tobacco as boys.

Unlike the Asian and European countries where many often say that the weather and the freedom enjoyed by females allow them to smoke and drink without raising eyebrows, the sudden rise in the number of ladies smoking and boozing has got many fearing that there could be more women smokers than male ones in the nearest future.

However, for those trying to ape European ladies who smoke on the excuse that it warms them up from inside in the cold region, Dr. Adeyefa Adeniran of All Souls Medical Centre, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, says it’s not true as cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption does not warm up human beings.

“It’s the norm in Europe among the ladies, smoking and drinking has nothing to do with the weather.  The proven fact is that cigarette smoking kills, but millions still smoke despite the glaring warnings on cigarette packs.  Do you know why? It’s because the nicotine in it is addictive”. Latest reports indicate that out of the more than one billion smokers worldwide, 250 million are women. About 5.5 per cent of them die annually from smoking-related ailments, corroborating Dr. Adeyefa’s statement.

In Nigeria, a recent study shows that there are more than 13 million active cigarette smokers, out of which about 1.5 million are women.  This is the warning signal that shows that cigarette smoking has gained foothold among Nigerian women, especially the young ones.

According to another medical expert, Dr John Ademola, at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, “the number of women that smoke would triple over the next generation and millions will die prematurely if nothing is done about it,” he observed.

But danger lurks ahead for women cigarette smokers.

He says research has shown that smoking affects the human cardio vascular system, lung function, reproductive system and bone density, adding that smoking accounts for nearly one in three cancer deaths worldwide. He listed other major health problems peculiar to women cigarette smokers as menstrual problems, pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility and premature menopause.

The medical practitioner also added that smoking constitute higher risks to pregnant women. He said that smoking could lower the amount of oxygen available to a pregnant woman and her baby, increase a baby’s heart rate, increase the chances of miscarriage and stillbirth and increase the likelihood of premature birth and low birth weight.

Dr. Adeyefa also adds that the same disease that affects males, “throat, bronchitis, trachea and lung cancer”, are suffered by females.

For pregnant women who smoke, the babies are easily exposed to diseases such as liver and cerebral problems. “They also weigh less than 3 kilograms, which is not good. These diseases have no cure”, he warns.

Another concern for female cigarette smokers is addiction. The U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention found that while 29 percent of male smokers have been able to quit, only 19 per cent of female smokers have permanently broken the habit. Women are three times more likely than men to relapse while trying to quit smoking without any help, the centre stated.

According to Dr Ademola, “while men smoke to feel more alert and vigorous, enjoying the positive feelings associated with smoking, women smoke because they find it relaxing.

He added that while nicotine appears to promote aggression in men, it has a calming effect on women. Women also appear to be more likely to take up smoking to help control theirs.

A Psychologist, Mr Tayo Abejide, added that the new strategy being used by manufacturers and marketers of cigarettes is to link smoking with attractiveness, which easily fascinates young girls, ultimately making them helpless victims.

“There is this erroneous belief that smoking offers some relief, even if temporarily. Up North, seasonal harsh weather sometimes induces more people into smoking. Unfortunately, they end up harming their pulmonary system more than they care to know”’, he said.

“Advertisers also lure young smokers so that they can be hooked on nicotine for many years”, added Dr. Adeyefa.

Another reason Mr Abejide gave for the rise in smoking among women is lack of watch by parents over their wards. “Many of the girls pick up this attitude while leaving at home with their parents. Since they do it most of the time in the nightclubs, bars and other similar places of entertainment, the question is, how these girls, including teenagers, became so free that they spend nights outside of home? This is where the root of the problem,” he stated.

Without these girls, however, club owners will have no business to run.

“They are the salt of showbiz, without women, guys who spend the money won’t come here to spend money on drinks and ladies. On Wednesdays when we have our ladies night, we make between N1.3 and 2 million. There is no way we can make such an amount if there are no women available. Women in a way are the reasons why men patronise clubs”.

But what is responsible for the upsurge in the number of female cigarette smokers in Nigeria? A female student at Lead City University, Ibadan, who prefers not to be named, said that in some circus, ladies who don’t smoke or drink “are not considered big girls and are therefore not respected.”

“When you see girls ‘puffing away’ in a club, the first impression is that such girls are “bad”, or loose.  However, many girls want to be labelled such because it draws attention to them from the guys.  It’s like guys immediately label them as sluts to be taken away and for the girls, it is like, ‘these are my wares; do you wanna buy? Smoking and drinking sells them”.


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