Nigeria: ''BATN Has Created Over 500,000 Jobs to Economy''

Source from:  Daily Independent 06/16/2014

The British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) says it has created more than 500,000 direct and indirect jobs in the country through its activities.

Director of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs in West Africa, British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN), Freddy Messanvi, who made this claim during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos, said as a responsible company, BATN is also into training and retraining of its over 600 farmers who have become millionaires by virtues of their growing of all crops including tobacco.

Head of Corporate Unit of BATN, Mrs. Oluwasoromidayo George, said the interactive forum was organised by the company to make Nigerians through the media know the big role the company is playing in boosting the economy.

On the recent law passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly on tobacco regulatory, which will take effect from August 17, 2014, Fredrick and Soromidayo said: "The BATN is known to have opposed strict regulation of tobacco business and smoking culture in Nigeria for decades. What we want is that it must be enforced in a just manner as this is the only way it can achieve its intent."

"As a nice story is always well told by the person that knows its roots, we bring in journalists today to know more about BATN to enable you tell the general public about who we are and what we do. There have been calls for regulation with stringent laws backing up the regulation.

"We are not against regulation of cigarette or tobacco, in fact, we were the first to mute that regulation because we don't want it to sound as if we are forcing people into smoking. No, we want smoking to be controlled. What we want is full improved regulation; we want well coordinated control so that enforcement of the ban of smoking in some selected places will be restricted only to such places as specified by the law." Enditem