I’ve personal, official reasons to combat tobacco consumption — Minister

The minister of health, Prof. Isaac Adewale, has reeled out federal government’s strategies aimed at controlling tobacco consumption and intake especially among children.
Speaking when he received a team of CSOs under the platform of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the Minister declared that he had personal and official reasons to fight tobacco consumption.
He said: “This meeting is important because I have personal and official reasons for fighting tobacco and will do anything to make our people stop smoking.”
He further disclosed that the federal government would hike tax levied on the product as part of the measures under consideration.
He said: “When taxes make the prices of tobacco high, those who still want to smoke will have to work hard to be able to pay for it. We must be prepared for this battle because it is a battle for the long haul.
“Africa is the target of the tobacco companies because they claim they are creating jobs but the harms of tobacco outweigh the jobs they claim to create.
It is a battle we must fight together and win.”
He also said promised that government would fast track the regulations for the implementation of the National Tobacco Control Act (NTCA 2015).
Speaking earlier, the director of African programme, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Bintu Camara, said Nigeria “is at the crux of momentum of tobacco burden.”
She further added that they were in the minister’s office to urge him to continue prioritising the fight against tobacco consumption, because the product was creating a ‘hugh problem’ for the country.
Also speaking, the Coordinator of Nigeria tobacco Research, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Dr. Akindele Adeniyi, said survey had proven that 3.9 Nigerians are into tobacco smoking habit.
He said Nigeria had a huge burden of tobacco smoking, because the number of tobacco products in the country was more than that of many other countries.
On his part, Akinbode Oluwafemi of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria(ERA/FoEN), said there was an urgent need for the government to forward the regulations to the National Assembly for approval.