A smoker |
The Federal Executive Council on
Wednesday approved the draft National Tobacco Control Bill 2004 that will be
sent to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill for promulgation into law.
The Bill, SHOWBIZPLUSng checks revealed, recommends a minimum of six
months imprisonment or N50,000 or both for individuals that smoke outside
public places designated as smoking areas.
Minister of Information, Mr. Laban
Maku; and the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, disclosed this to
State House correspondents at the end of the meeting presided over by President
Goodluck Jonathan.
Chukwu said the penalties for
corporate offenders varied from N1million to N5million and one year to two
years imprisonment for the chief executives of such firms.
The minister added that all forms of
advertisement of tobacco is totally banned under the proposed law.
He added that while the law forbids
government from accepting gifts from tobacco firms, it also bans the firms from
sponsoring any public event.
When it finally becomes a law, he
said 50 per cent of the packaging of tobacco is expected to be used to warn the
public of the risks involved in smoking.
Chukwu said the government would set
up a standing committee that would assist law enforcement agencies in
implementing the law.
He said the present administration
decided to work on the Bill because the provisions of a similar one passed into
law in 2001 were considered to be weak.
He listed some of the diseases
linked to smoking to include cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and
stroke; cancer, especially that of the lung; as well as chronic respiratory
disorder.
He recalled that a Global Youth
Tobacco Survey conducted in 2008 showed that 15 per cent of children between 13
years and 15 years are already smoking and another percentage exposed as
passive smokers.
He said the Global Adult Tobacco
Survey on its part showed that 10 percent of men in Nigeria smoke while 1.1
percent women smoke.
This, he explained, showed that
almost six per cent of adults in Nigeria smoke.
He said, “This is not the first
attempt in Nigeria to control the use of tobacco in this country. In 1990 we
had a decree which tried to place some control on the sale and use of tobacco
products and in 2001, it was repealed and re-enacted to become the National
Tobacco Control Act of 2001.
“The whole idea is to make it
stiffer, but when in 2004, Nigeria along with other nations of the world signed
the 2004 WHO framework convention on tobacco control, there was then the need
to bring our laws in conformity because we actually as a country ratified that
convention the next year which was 2005.
“So that attempt by the Executive
will eventually culminate in the passage of a revised or amended Act as it were
in 2011 by the sixth session of the National Assembly.
“The bill is to protect Nigerians against the harmful
effects of tobacco. We know that tobacco is dangerous, tobacco is the cause of
many deaths and it causes so many illnesses.”
The
Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the draft National
Tobacco Control Bill 2004 that will be sent to the National Assembly as
an Executive Bill for promulgation into law.
The Bill recommends a minimum of six months imprisonment or N50,000 or
both for individuals that smoke outside public places designated as
smoking areas.
Minister of Information, Mr. Laban Maku; and the Minister of Health,
Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, disclosed this to State House correspondents at
the end of the meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Chukwu said the penalties for corporate offenders varied from N1million
to N5million and one year to two years imprisonment for the chief
executives of such firms.
The minister added that all forms of advertisement of tobacco is totally banned under the proposed law.
He added that while the law forbids government from accepting gifts from
tobacco firms, it also bans the firms from sponsoring any public event.
When it finally becomes a law, he said 50 per cent of the packaging of
tobacco is expected to be used to warn the public of the risks involved
in smoking.
Chukwu said the government would set up a standing committee that would assist law enforcement agencies in implementing the law.
He said the present administration decided to work on the Bill because
the provisions of a similar one passed into law in 2001 were considered
to be weak.
He listed some of the diseases linked to smoking to include
cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke; cancer,
especially that of the lung; as well as chronic respiratory disorder.
He recalled that a Global Youth Tobacco Survey conducted in 2008 showed
that 15 per cent of children between 13 years and 15 years are already
smoking and another percentage exposed as passive smokers.
He said the Global Adult Tobacco Survey on its part showed that 10
percent of men in Nigeria smoke while 1.1 percent women smoke.
This, he explained, showed that almost six per cent of adults in Nigeria smoke.
He said, “This is not the first attempt in Nigeria to control the use of
tobacco in this country. In 1990 we had a decree which tried to place
some control on the sale and use of tobacco products and in 2001, it was
repealed and re-enacted to become the National Tobacco Control Act of
2001.
“The whole idea is to make it stiffer, but when in 2004, Nigeria along
with other nations of the world signed the 2004 WHO framework convention
on tobacco control, there was then the need to bring our laws in
conformity because we actually as a country ratified that convention the
next year which was 2005.
“So that attempt by the Executive will eventually culminate in the
passage of a revised or amended Act as it were in 2011 by the sixth
session of the National Assembly.
“The bill is to protect Nigerians against the harmful effects of
tobacco. We know that tobacco is dangerous, tobacco is the cause of many
deaths and it causes so many illnesses.”
- See more at:
http://thebusinessdispatch.com/fg-approves-six-month-imprisonment-n50000-fine-for-smokers/#sthash.fr32fTuy.dpuf
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