Nigeria: Anti-tobacco Group Faults Fashola''s Reception of BAT Boss

Source from:  The Guardian (Lagos, Nigeria)  09/27/2013

ANTI-TOBACCO campaigners in the country yesterday faulted the "grand" reception accorded the Managing Director of British American Tobacco (BAT), Keith Gretton, during a visit to the Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Monday, describing it as contradictory to the state's crusade against tobacco-related diseases.

The group, under the aegis of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), said the premises upon which the reception was based (BAT's job creation and tax revenue to Nigeria), were false in comparism to the health effect of their products on Nigerians.

The group in a joint statement said: "This is a major miss-step by Lagos State and we owe it a duty to remind the Governor, seen by many as a role model, that tobacco investment is worse than blood diamonds."

It was reported that Fashola had, while hosting Gretton, hailed BAT for creating jobs since it began operations in 2003, and added that the Lagos government would continue to maintain a conducive environment for BAT and other businesses to thrive in line with its objectives of "aggressive investment" in infrastructure and security to improve the business environment.

Gretton had also disclosed that Nigeria was one of BAT's top 10 markets, adding that the company would continue to perform its corporate responsibilities to Nigerians. He also said BAT supported agriculture and remits about N15 billion in taxes annually to the Federal Government.

But in a statement yesterday, ERA/FoEN and CISLAC said their findings revealed that the main import of the meeting was to secure Fashola's endorsement for BAT's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project for the state at a time the state is considering a law to ban smoking in public places.

The groups said: "We have gathered that BAT was making plans to donate Hilux jeeps to the Lagos Security Trust Fund just as some corporations did few a weeks ago.  This is carefully planned so that BAT could interfere in the proposed law to prohibit smoking in public places. This is completely unacceptable.

"Tobacco companies have demonstrated beyond reasonable conviction that they are enemies of public health and therefore enemies of the public good. Their attempt to tap into the profile of Governor Fashola to secure public acceptance is repulsive.

"We therefore want plead with Fashola not to taint his political stature with tobacco money.  Any porridge from Big Tobacco will run the stomach! A good research by his aides can reveal how political leaders around the world treat funds," the statement read in part.

On behalf of CISLAC, Auwal Rafsanjani added that what Lagos needs is a strong legislation to make corporations accountable for all costs associated with production and profits, and in this case, to make the tobacco industry accountable for the deaths, diseases, environmental, social and other costs associated with smoking in the State.

"Not only is this unholy visit very disturbing, it has confirmed what we have always said that the tobacco industry will never subscribe to any form of regulation. That BAT top echelon is visiting the Lagos State Government at a time the State is contemplating far-reaching laws to regulate the marketing and sale of cigarettes in the state is very revealing to the discerning. Enditem