The continued manufacture, distribution and consumption of tobacco by Nigerians, including children and adolescents have been identified as the major cause of many health issues and deaths currently experienced by Nigerians.
The Chairman of Safety Net for Children (SNC), a non-governmental organisation championing the good health of children and adolescents in the country, Mr. Akomas Brent, said such diseases and deaths are avoidable if tobacco and other tobacco products are prohibited in the country.
According to him, that was the case in the United States and other advanced economies when they became inundated with cases of cigarette related deaths, diseases and rising national budgets.
They consequently evolved decisive policies to check the menace of cigarette (tobacco), which forced the companies to relocate to Africa and Nigeria in particular to continue their ‘illicit’ trade.
Akomas, who accused the tobacco companies of not having the interest of Nigerians at heart, urged the Nigerian government, in the interest of public health, terminate all part nerships with any operator in the tobacco industry, terminate any grant-in-aid to any operator in the tobacco industry, withdraw all incentives to operators in the tobacco industry, discontinue any patronage to or from any operator in the industry, monitor and implement a fair and equitable regulation, and impose extreme sanctions on any agency or individual that in compromises.
He stated that the manufacture, distribution and marketing of tobacco and tobacco products must be recognised and treated as a health epidemic concern, stressing that certain provisions in the 2016 review document by the Technical Committee on Standards for Tobacco and Tobacco products may be a ploy to retain the patronage of kid-smokers.