News

WHO Advocates Ban On Tobacco Use In Nigeria

Published

1 year ago

May 31, 2024

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says it is desirous of a tobacco-free Nigeria and for its products to be completely banned in the nation.

The Country Representative to Nigeria, Dr Walter Mulombo, said this on Friday in Abuja at a news conference to commemorate 2024 World No Tobacco Day with the theme “Protecting Children from Tobacco Industry Interference.”

According to Mulombo, everyone can work towards ensuring future generations are free from the dangers of tobacco and nicotine addiction.

He said, “I dream of the day when tobacco products will be banned in Nigeria and not allowed to be sold or bought.”

He also said that the tobacco industry must be held accountable for the harm caused to health, the environment, and the economy.

He added that “tobacco is responsible for more than eight million deaths annually, with more than seven million of the deaths being results of direct tobacco use, while around 1.2 million non-smokers die from exposure to second-hand smoke.

“A recently released report by WHO termed ‘Hooking the Next Generation’ showed that an estimated 37 million children aged 13 to 15 years use tobacco, and in many countries, the rate of e-cigarette use among adolescents exceeds that of adults.

“The report also indicated that most adults who use tobacco started when they were children or young adults, with lifetime users most likely to become hooked before the age of 21 years.

“This indicates that the industry targets youths for a lifetime of profits, creating a new wave of addiction.”

Mulombo also said that the range of products the industry used to appeal to youths has expanded significantly, from cigarettes, cigarillos, and shisha to newer products like e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches.

He added that flavoured products and additives, sleek designs, and child-friendly packaging and imagery made addictive products even more appealing to youths.

“Companies rapidly launch new products that sidestep, or are not included, in current laws and use every available means to expand their market share before regulations can catch up with them.

“Unfortunately, these tactics are working. Evidence from around the world shows an alarming uptake by children of some products, such as e-cigarettes.

“The tobacco industry is succeeding in its efforts to create a new generation of young people who smoke, vape, suck nicotine pouches, or use snuff.”

On the situation in Nigeria, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, said the 2012 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) shows that 4.5 million Nigerians 15 years of age and older are currently using tobacco products, of which 3.1 million are smokers.

Pate added that “the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) conducted in 2008 across five states in Nigeria shows the prevalence of tobacco use among adolescents aged 13 to 15 years, ranging from 13.1 per cent to 23.3 per cent in Lagos State and Cross River.”

Represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom, the minister said that the consequences of tobacco industry interference with children’s health are profound and far-reaching, leading to a host of adverse health outcomes.

They include respiratory ailments, cognitive impairment, and increased susceptibility to addiction later in life.

Also, he said, exposure to secondhand smoke poses significant threat to children’s well-being, exacerbating the risk of respiratory infections, asthma, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

“Exposure to tobacco smoke also goes as far as exposing children in uterus, even before they are given birth.

“Exposure of the mother to tobacco smoke can cause poor birth outcomes and affect lung, cardiovascular, and brain development of the baby.

“This can also increase the risk of obesity, behavioural problems, and cardiovascular disease later in life,” Pate added.

He, however, said that in combating the menace posed by tobacco, Nigeria made several giant strides, such as signing and ratifying the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) treaty in 2004 and 2005, respectively.

He added that the ministry, in collaboration with other line ministries, departments, agencies, and other stakeholders, developed the National Tobacco Control (NTC) Act 2015 and its implementing regulations in 2019.

According to him, the act contains several provisions that provide protection of children, such as the ban on sale and purchase of tobacco and tobacco products by minors.

He added that the Tobacco Control Unit has concluded plans to establish Tobacco-Free Clubs in selected schools and sensitise owners/managers of public places in one state each from the six geopolitical zones, with the collaboration of Management Sciences for Health.

The Chairman, Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance, Mr Akinbode Oluwafemi, said that because children are being targeted by products known to be very harmful, “the nation must respond with very targeted laws and enforcement.

“We have the National Tobacco Control Act; we have the National Tobacco Regulation 2019. We are grateful to the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) on the regulation of smoking in movies.

“We want government to enforce those laws as a way of protecting our children. As of the time we were enacting the National Tobacco Control Act 2015, a lot has changed with the tobacco industry.

“They continue to mutate and come in various forms, so it may be time for us to begin to engage on how to strengthen those laws.”

The Executive Secretary, NFVCB, Dr Shaibu Husseini, said various efforts had been put in by regulatory bodies to sanitise and educate parents, guardians, and the public about the ills of tobacco use.

Represented by Mrs Hasina Nasir, Husseini said the board realised that tobacco industries hide under the banner of entertainment to promote and advertise their products in all forms.

“Today, the film industry is facing an emergency that requires bold and ambitious actions from all of us as parents, guardians, and stakeholders.

“Therefore, after series of engagements, the NFVCB decided to partner with CAPPA to make subsidiary legislation to control glamorisation of tobacco products in films, music videos, and skits.

“The proposed legislation has been forwarded to the Federal Ministry of Justice for gazetting,” he added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that World No Tobacco Day is commemorated every year on May 31.

The 2024 theme is to raise awareness across the world and to call on the industry to stop targeting young people with products that are harmful to their health.
(NAN)

News

IGP Appoints New Force PRO

Published

5 hours ago

September 4, 2025

Editor

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has approved the appointment of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Benjamin Hundeyin as the new Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO).

Hundeyin, a graduate of English Language from Lagos State University, also holds a Master’s degree in Legal Criminology and Security Psychology from the University of Ibadan. He further obtained a Certificate in Civil-Military Coordination from the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Training Centre, Jaji, Kaduna State.

The new FPRO is an Associate of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), a Member of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM).

A seasoned communicator, Hundeyin previously served as the Police Public Relations Officer at Zone 2 Command, Lagos, and later at the Lagos State Police Command.

He was also part of Nigeria’s contingent to the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur, Sudan, in 2020, and at different times worked at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, as Administration Officer in the Public Relations Department.

The IGP urged Hundeyin to deploy his wealth of experience in communications and security to further strengthen the image of the Nigeria Police Force and sustain robust relations with the public.

He takes over from DCP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who served as Force PRO until his redeployment.

News

Jonathan In Edo, Says Nigeria’s Politics Full Of Betrayals

Published

6 hours ago

September 4, 2025

Editor

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has decried the level of betrayal and lies in Nigeria’s political atmosphere.

Jonathan spoke in Benin on Thursday at the 70th birthday ceremony of his former Chief of Staff and former deputy governor of Edo State, Chief Mike Ogiadomhe.

Jonathan, who described Ogiadomhe as an ally that can be trusted all time, added: “One of the few friends that gave up their necks when I became president, is Mike. You know politics in the Nigerian standard is about betrayals.

“You find it difficult to see somebody who will say the same thing in the morning and in the evening. I’ve witnessed a lot of betrayals, especially my 2015 elections, and Mike is somebody who would take a bullet on my behalf.

“He is somebody that you can take his word to the bank; most other politicians, you cannot take their words to the bank. They will tell you something, the next one hour they are saying another”.

On his part, deputy governor of Edo State, Dennis Idahosa, who represented Governor Monday Okpebholo, said the foundation Ogiadomhe laid as deputy is what is still being followed.

Lucky Igbinedion on his part said he had no reservation handing over the affairs of the state to Ogiadomhe as his deputy governor when he needed to travel abroad.

Also speaking former governor of the state and senator representing Edo North, Comrade Adams Oahiomhole said whenever he discussed politics with the celebrant, he always told him that wherever Jonathan is, is where he would be.

He commended his wife, Lousia for being a dependable wife.

The birthday celebration attracted many dignitaries including former governors Lucky Igbinedion, Professor Osarhiemen Osunbor, Adams Oahiomhole and Ibrahim Dakwambo of Gombe State.

Others included former deputy governors including Rev. Peter Obadan, Pius Odubu, Marvelous Omobayo, Chief Judge of Edo State Daniel Okungbowa, Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Blessing Agbebaku who led other members of the assembly, traditional rulers among others.

News

ITF Warns Organisations, Employers Against Rejection Of IT Students

Published

11 hours ago

September 4, 2025

Editor

The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has warned organisations and employers nationwide against rejecting students seeking attachment for their Industrial Training (IT) exercises.

ITF Area Manager in Bauchi, Dr Ashore Paul, issued the warning on Thursday during the orientation exercise for prospective IT students of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi.

Represented by Mrs Nanzem Yilshuut, Head of Training at the ITF Bauchi Area Office, Paul said that “the act establishing the Fund mandates every organisation to accept students for industrial attachment.”

He further stated that any employer or organisation found in breach of these provisions was liable to conviction and sanctions.

Paul also urged the prospective IT students to adhere to the rules and regulations of any organisation they joined and to be willing to learn and fulfill their responsibilities.

“When these students come back, we expect that there is a difference.

“They should have learned something new because definitely, what they learned in school, would be expected to be put into practicals.

“This will help them in their academics and also assist them in their future endeavours.

“They must participate 100 per cent, they must be disciplined and they must be willing to learn.

“We go round to ensure that they are doing what they are expected to do at their places of attachment.

“When we go for supervision, we ensure that what they are learning is in line with their courses,” he said.

The Rector of the institution, Sani Usman, said that the industrial attachment was an activity that enabled polytechnics to fulfill their mandate as technology and skill-driven institutions.

“Our students are given industrial experience during their first year so as to be registered in their minds that all of them are meant to be skilled class men and women and that is why the industrial attachment is very important.

“It enables them to build on what they have learned in their respective classrooms and practicals during the year,” he said.

Usman emphasised the importance of proper supervision during industrial training.

According to him, it will ensure students not only attend their placements but also carry out their assigned tasks effectively.

“The supervision is also to see that the employers or the places they have been sent to do their Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) do not exploit them to the level that is not required by the institution”, he said.

He further revealed that 3,000 students across all departments in the institution were going for this year’s SIWES.