Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has urged the Federal Government to pas the National Tobacco Control Bill (NTCB), which is envisaged to tackle cigarette smoking and other effects of tobacco in the country.ERA/FoEN's Director of Corporate Accountability, Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi, who made the appealed while launching a book entitled, Shadow Report on Implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobaco Control (FCTC) Articles 5.3, 6 and 13 in Nigeria, pointed out that signing the bill would enable the country make progress towards the eradication of the tobacco epidemic and reduction of addition.Oluwafemi said: 'It is apparent especially from the revelations contained in this Shadow Report that the passage of the National Tobacco Control Bill is just the beginning of the foundation for effective tobacco control legislation in Nigeria.'However, Nigeria will not make any appreciable progress towards the eradication of the tobacco epidemic and reduction of addition without the signing into law, the tobacco control bill. ERA/FoEN, therefore, appeal to the leadership of the National Assembly to expedite action on the bill and forward to the President for his signature,' he stated.While explaining that in-take of tobacco was like death at the doorstep, ERA/FoEN's Director of Corporate Accountability said that one of the ways to address the harmful nature of tobacco was for the Federal Government to increase the tax on the product by 100 per cent.He said: 'We are waiting for President Goodluck Jonathan to sign into law the bill that will save lives. We want everybody to mount pressure on the President to sign the bill into law. Federal Government needs to raise taxes on tobacco products.'He disclosed that the goal of this shadow report was to monitor and report on Nigeria's efforts at implementing the provisions of the FCTC Article 5.3, which deals on industry interference; Article 6, which deals on price and tax measures to reduce demand for tobacco; and Article 13 that addresses tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.Nigeria, he said, ratified the FCTC in 2005 and made efforts to domesticate the provisions in 2008 when the NTCB was presented at the National Assembly by Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, stressing that Shadow Report on Implementation of the FCTC was an investigation of the Federal Government's commitment to reduce the tobacco epidemic in the country.Seun Akioye and Philip Jakpor, while presenting talking points on the book, stated that the investigation was carried out because of the rising rate of tobacco use in Nigeria especially among young people.Other reasons for the report, they further said, were the continuing illegal marketing and advertising of the tobacco industry as well as the rising cost of healthcare for those who have fallen sick from using tobacco products as identified by several states in the landmark tobacco litigation.This Shadow Report was conducted in three cities with considerations on the socio-economic and tribal diversity. Enugu was chosen because of the fact that it was the former capital of the Eastern region, its youth and urban population as well as its cosmopolitan nature.Lagos was chosen because it is the Headquarters of the BATN and location of most of the illegal activities of the tobacco industry, while Abuja was chosen for the research because it had in place a ban on smoking in public places and the fact that it is Federal Capital Territory (FCT).According to them, the method used in carrying out this investigation was the observational and reportorial protocol, adding that the cities were divided into sub units of commercial, residential and mixed groups.Under Article 13, which is advertising, reporters looked for Point of Sale (POS) advertising, outdoor advertising and newspaper advertising, while under Article 6, which is for price and tax measures to reduce demand for tobacco, reporters monitored the price of a popular premium brand and most discounted brand of cigarettes. Under Article 5.3, reporters monitored industry activities which target influencing public health policies.In Enugu, POS advertising were monitored in Enugu and it recorded the least compliance with the FCTC. Most supermarkets, they said, were conspicuously advertising tobacco products most of the time, very close to groceries or at the point of payment. There were no billboard advertising, but there was a lot of umbrella branding which seems to have replaced bill board advertising.They stated that in Abuja, there was a mixed compliance with the POS regulations, stressing that due to the enforcement of the ban on public smoking, most stores have stopped selling cigarettes especially in areas 1 and 2. Religious stores like SAHAD and Amigos considered the sale of cigarettes as socially unacceptable.In Lagos, POS advertising was a common sight especially in the poor areas, as concentration of umbrella branding and other forms of advertisement were in Lagos. Bulk of the advertising was done by mobile tobacco retailers.
Click here to read full news..
