Nigeria: Advocate Urges Action on Tobacco Control

Source from:  This Day 11/21/2014

With several studies linking smoking to cancer of various organs and the prevalence of cancer in Nigeria, a tobacco control advocate, Akinbode Oluwafemi has warned of devastating effect in Nigeria, if the parliament fails to speed up the process of enacting a national law to protect citizens across the country.

Oluwafemi, a long-time public health campaigner and environmentalist in an interview with THISDAY said the tobacco control bill currently in the National Assembly is an important public health bill that must be given a priority, while parliamentarian jostled to safe their seats in the 2015 elections.

A new study has acknowledged the role of tobacco use in the development of bladder cancer. According to the lead author, Dr. Jeffrey Bassett of Kaiser Permanente Southern California in Anaheim, "bladder cancer is actually the second most common smoking-related cancer, second only to lung cancer." Oluwafemi who said the recent public hearing on tobacco use at the Senate was a fruitful one tasked the lawmakers not to delay the process of legislation in the face of the current political campaigns.

"We want the lawmakers to remember that the task is urgent. People are dying daily, there are many who are on hospital bed as a result of tobacco-related diseases. "Smoking is the most important risk factor for bladder cancer. The ACS reports that smokers are at least three times as likely to get bladder cancer as non-smokers," he said.

The Senate Committee on Heath held a public hearing on the National Tobacco Control Bill in October in a bid to regulate the use of tobacco, but the process has slacked with electioneering, especially with the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa who superintended the hearing now running for the office of the governor of his state. Oluwafemi said : "We are on the threshold of history, because this is not the first time the Senate will be conducting hearing on a bill seeking to regulate tobacco use in Nigeria, but this time presents us an opportunity to demonstrate to the world that we have a government that cares about the well-being of the people.

"The Senate President, David Mark declared opened the hearing last month as he has done one previous occasion and he must see to it that this bill becomes law during the life cycle of this National Assembly." Also, Oluwafemi said, President Goodluck Jonathan must show commitment to public health and correct the mistake of the past when the lawmakers send the bill back to him for assent. "We missed historic moment in 2011, when Mr. President refused assent to the tobacco control bill passed by the Senate. All eyes are now on this government and the executive and legislature must act to build the confidence of Nigerians in the administration of the country.

"We hope that President Jonathan will act swiftly when the bill comes to his table to do justice in a timely manner that will save thousands of Nigerians currently on death roll of tobacco epidemic." Oluwafemi added that while Nigeria continues to delay, "a new study has recently revealed a significant drop in the number of young people taking up smoking over the last 20 years in the United Kingdom because of the range of tobacco control measures the country has introduced."

The UK is recognised as having one of the most comprehensive tobacco control policies in Europe having, over the last 20 years, adopted new laws such as tax increases and bans on advertising tobacco products and smoking in public places, which Nigeria continues to struggle with.

Tobacco smoking has been implicated as one in six of the non-communicable diseases globally and in Nigeria, about 5.6 per cent of the populace use tobacco products nationally and about 6.4m adults are exposed to tobacco smoke while visiting restaurants according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2012.

The tobacco control bill thus seeks to provide prohibition of sale of the product to young persons. The Bill also seeks to provide for the prohibition of advertising, promotion and sponsorship as well as regulation of tobacco products.

The bill also provides for health warnings and other information required on tobacco product packaging and further provides for the protection of tobacco policies from commercial and vested interest of the tobacco industry as well as education and communication and public awareness as it relates to the Nigerian public. Enditem