I had an appointment with Shehu Adamu at a public park in Abuja in spite the lockdown. As I walk over to the meeting point ensuring that I comply with the lockdown protocol about social distancing, I pondered on how many lives would have been lost to consumption of tobacco in the country. With the continued spread of covid-19 experts said smokers are at higher risk of mortality compared to non-smokers. Unfortunately, smoking poses danger on the youthful population if something drastic is not done to discourage consumption as the country lack data on the health hazard on tobacco smoking.
Adamu was well prepared for our meeting as he saw me from afar, he disengaged from the discussion he was having with his friends and came over to exchange pleasantries with me. The environment reeks of cigarettes and I could see smoke ebbing from the circle of his friends. “We are discussing general politics.” “Over sticks of cigarettes,” I interjected, and we both laughed. I notice he had recently smoked and that led to my interactions with him.
“I began smoking while I was in secondary school. My friends and I would sneak out of the classroom to a nearby bush and smoke. It was fun for us and a pride to show we can outsmart school authority.” He said he has from that time continued smoking.
Smoking in Nigeria is already a scourge. Evidence shows that smokers increase day by day with the tobacco industry reaping fat from this. According to Non-Governmental organisations leading the campaign for the ban on tobacco smoking in the country, manufacturers of cigarettes have find ways to prevent the full implementation of policies to effectively control tobacco consumption. Regrettably, government public health policies lack effective insulation from the interest of the tobacco industry.
In fact, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) frowned at the parley between government and some tobacco producers. The group alleged that any donation made by organisations like British American Tobacco to government to combat the spread of covid-19 is a Greek gift that “ultimately targeted compromising public officials, weakening heath systems and positioning the tobacco companies as a credible stakeholder in public health policy. The group mentioned this in reference to the call by the governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde that the British American Tobacco Nigeria should support the effort of the state government to combat the spread of the virus in the state.
Since the 1950s the government has been making efforts to initiate policies to control tobacco consumption in the country but the economic gains from the tobacco industry creates conflict of interest in the will to initiate any policy. But in 2015, a policy, Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) complaint was developed.
The Action plan for the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, was endorsed by the World Health Assembly. The action plan commits governments to series of multi-sectorial actions.
A research carried out by Dr. Davis Adeloye in 2019 revealed that about 110 million cigarettes are consumed in Nigeria per day while over 40 billion is consumed yearly. The research indicated that one in every ten Nigerians smokes. An alarming revelation considering the fact that smoking is linked to lung cancer and is the leading cause of preventable deaths.
To show commitment of the public officials to tobacco control in the country, the National Assembly in 2019 approved the draft National Tobacco Control Regulation. The approved regulation gave teeth to the tobacco control legislation signed into law in 2015.
The approved regulation focused on licensing of tobacco products, duration of the license and graphic health warning on tobacco pack, smoke-free places, tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, among others. Stakeholders are optimistic that the provision which will take effect in 2021 would have impact on tobacco smoking in the country.
Anti-tobacco stakeholders continue to observe how government would commit to implementing the tobacco control legislation to the latter.
