By Musa Adamu
Abuja
The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of Earth Nigeria (ERA/ FoEN) have demanded for a probe into the circumstances surrounding the granting of permission to import 122 million units of cigarettes into the country in contravention of the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 (NTCA).
The group which spoke through deputy director, ERA/FoEN, Akinbode Oluwafemi, recalled that Phillips Morris International (PMI) had registered its Nigeria subsidiary, PMINTL Nigeria Ltd and got the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) for five brands of PMI to be imported into the country.
Oluwafemi accused Philip Morris International of attempting a comeback into Nigeria, exploring the window period that regulations for full implementation of the NTC Act was being put together by the Ministry of Health.
He said there were efforts by tobacco industry to undermine the law due to lack of passage of the Act and full implementation.
He said: “Our position remains unchanged that, delay in the full implementation of the NTC Act will be exploited by the tobacco industry to begin a new onslaught on our nation and particularly our youth.”
” We had also revealed that Nigerians never suspected that while the country was celebrating the NTCA, two months after, PMI, through Phillips Morris Manufacturers, Senegal Sarl, applied for and got approval of the Senegalese government, to benefit from ECOWAS trade liberalisation scheme for the five brands consisting of brands of 122 million units of cigarette to be brought into this country.
“Shockingly, as we had said, in August 2015, PMINTL Nigeria Ltd applied and secured approval for the importation of the aforementioned brands into Nigeria from the federal ministry of finance.”
He however notified that through their petitions to the National Assembly and President Buhari, the Senate had signalled its readiness to take action against the perpetrators.
