Bauchi moves to domesticate tobacco control  law

The Bauchi State Government has commenced moves to domesticate the National Tobacco Control Act in collaboration with the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre as part of efforts to curb tobacco use and reduce its health and environmental consequences.

The initiative was unveiled during a one-day stakeholders’ technical meeting on the development of the Bauchi State Tobacco Control Framework, where participants from relevant ministries, departments and agencies examined the need for a state law to regulate tobacco products.

Speaking at the event held on Friday, the Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa, popularly known as Rafsanjani, urged the state government to put in place a legal framework that would discourage unrestricted access to tobacco.

He said, “Bauchi State should take proactive steps by domesticating the National Tobacco Control Act. A strong legal framework will help regulate the sale and use of tobacco products and ultimately protect public health.”

Presenting a paper on tobacco control, CISLAC technical officer Solomon Adogum cited figures from the World Health Organisation showing that tobacco use remains widespread in Nigeria despite increasing awareness of its dangers.

He said, “More than 25,000 children between the ages of 10 and 14, alongside about 7.49 million adults aged 15 years and above, use tobacco daily in Nigeria. Over 7.08 million men and 402,600 women smoke cigarettes every day, while about 1.97 million people use smokeless tobacco. The country also records 28,876 tobacco-related deaths annually.”

Adogum described tobacco as one of the leading causes of preventable deaths globally, warning that it is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases.

He added, “More than 85 per cent of lung cancer cases are linked to tobacco use. It is also associated with chronic respiratory diseases, heart attacks, stroke, and cancers affecting the mouth, throat, oesophagus, pancreas and bladder.”

According to him, secondhand smoke is equally dangerous.

“Exposure to secondhand smoke is responsible for about 1.2 million premature deaths worldwide every year. It also increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory infections and asthma among children,” he said.

The Commissioner for Housing and Environment, Danlami Kawule, represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Yamai Muhammad, assured participants of the state government’s commitment to the initiative.

He said, “The Bala Mohammed administration remains committed to protecting both the environment and the health of citizens. We will support every necessary step towards the domestication of the tobacco control legislation in Bauchi State.”

DAILYPOST reports that participants at the meeting, including officials from various ministries and government agencies, were taken through the public health, environmental and economic implications of tobacco use, with experts advocating stricter regulations on the sale and consumption of tobacco products.