Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Your active participation in a A Smoke-Free Nigeria




There are currently no national restrictions on the advertising and promotion of tobacco use in Nigeria yet it is proven that advertising increases tobacco consumption globally. Young people are particularly vulnerable to it and are regarded as the main target of brand stretching via these promotions and advertisements. Evidence shows that comprehensive advertising bans lead to reductions in the numbers of people starting (i.e. new smokers) and continuing smoking.

Statistics show that banning tobacco advertising and sponsorship is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce tobacco demand and thus a tobacco control “best buy”. However, most countries including Nigeria lack comprehensive laws governing the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Despite the effectiveness of comprehensive tobacco control laws, only 6% of the world’s population was fully protected from exposure to the tobacco industry advertising, promotion and sponsorship tactics in 2010 (WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2011). If we do not change the way tobacco companies operate in Nigeria, it will be difficult to make the necessary progress towards battling the harmful effects of tobacco products to Nigerians.

Now, as a nation, Nigeria faces a wide range of issues that need attention central of which is the health of her citizens as the saying goes 'Health is wealth.' The sheer number of citizens' death that is preventable presents a challenge for which solution is within our grasp. Tobacco & its products is the leading cause of preventable deaths globally.

Having outlined our position since the beginning of October by calling on the Hon. Minister of Health to lead the way by submitting the draft bill on Tobacco Control in Nigeria to FEC, we will be matching action with words and urge YOU to join us in this cause.

In Nov 2013, a petition addressed to Hon. Minister of Health will be made public for Nigerian to append their signatures to. This petition will be published online and we along with other partners involved in the 'Social Media Campaign on Tobacco Control Project' will be massively canvassing for Nigerians at home & abroad to add their voice to this cause by signing the petition and sharing their actions with others as well.

It is critical that on this issue of national importance, we match action with words as citizens who are ready to facilitate change in the country. We know there is no magic wand to solve every single challenge we face but step by step, action by action, together, we can make a difference by becoming part of the change we want to see

Discussions are important to clarifying any issue and itemizing a road map but the change process has other loops apart from talk. This is where actions are taken to facilitate the actualization of set goal of a smoke-free Nigeria. Your participation in this must be active contributing in talks but also partaking in followup actions as citizens with a stake in the well-being of our country. JOIN US!!!

Link up with us on the following social media platforms:
- Twitter: Follow @TobaccoCtrl
- Facebook: Visit and like Tobaccoctrl
- Google Plus: add Tobaccoctrl to your circle

- 2go: add Tobaccoctrl

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Smokers are liable to die young



The above is a quote, made popular in the late 90s from TV adverts and now usually written on labels of cigarette and tobacco packs to discourage smokers from the habit. You might even remember it from tv adverts late in the 90s but really, how many smokers take note of that before puffing one into their system.

Recently the World- No-Tobacco-Day (WNTD) was held in different parts of the world including Nigeria which again brought to the forefront the need to seriously address long-standing issue of smoking and its health implications among the youths and adults in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, the anti-tobacco communities led advocacy efforts from the forefront towards ensuring public places across the country are designated as smoke-free zones. Over 40 civil society groups, legal practitioners and public health advocates stormed the Senate Hearing Room of the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, on July 21 and 22 to present their memorandum in support of the National Tobacco Control Bill, NTCB 2009. 

The Nigeria National Tobacco Control Bill is a comprehensive law when passed will regulate the manufacturing, advertising distribution and consumption of tobacco products in Nigeria. It is a bill that is aimed at domesticating the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) because Nigeria is a party to that international convention. The keys highlights of the bill are prohibition of smoking in public places; to include restaurant and bar, public transportation, schools, hospitals etc. A ban on all forms of direct and indirect advertising, prohibition of sales of cigarette 1000-meter radius of areas designated as non-smoking, mass awareness about the danger of smoking as well as the formation of committee that will guide government on the issue of tobacco control in the country.

The Minister of health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu himself revealed that Nigeria will ban smoking in the country as soon as the anti-tobacco bill that is currently before the lawmakers is passed into law. According to him, the government decided there is strong reason to send the bill to the National Assembly because of the realization of the dangers inherent in continual cigarette smoking.

 “Why are you smoking? Why are you taking what will kill you? What benefit do you derive from smoking?” the minister asked rhetorically. He further said that the Nigerian government has decided to take drastic actions in the fight against smoking in Nigeria. But as of today, nothing has been done to effect these promises!

We are still appealing to the Hon. Minister for Health to fulfill his promises by finishing the task assigned to his team by leading the charge in ensuring the draft bill is presented to the FEC without delay and approved so it can move onto consideration by the Senate & House of Representatives. This is our CLARION CALL!

To join us in making this strong appeal to the Hon. Minister of Health, add your voice by visiting his facebook page, like our post, drop your comments and share widely with others. Let’s help make Nigeria a SMOKE-FREE zone TODAY! 

You should also actively participate in the discussions presently ongoing on the following social media platforms:
- Twitter: Follow @TobaccoCtrl
- Facebook: Visit and like Tobaccoctrl
- Google Plus: add Tobaccoctrl to your circle
- 2go: add Tobaccoctrl

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Calling on the Hon. Minister of Health

The 2009 World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Health Risks Report on analysing mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks shows over 6 million people die each year from health conditions associated with tobacco use. Infact, the 2011 WHO Report on the global tobacco epidemic states tobacco kills up to one-half of all its users.

The 2013 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) Nigeria Report shows at least 4.5 million Nigerian adults aged 15 years or older used tobacco products in 2012 while an estimated 2.7 million adults who worked indoors had been exposed to secondhand smoke in their workplaces, with 5.2 million adults in Nigeria were said to be exposed to secondhand smoke at home.

On the African continent, nearly 70% of students between the ages of 13-15 were able to buy cigarettes in a store despite their age. This is not a pretty picture and calls for prompt attention! Surely, Nigeria as an African giant should lead the charge to safeguard her future leaders and follow words with action as an FCTC signatory.

On Saturday 13th July 2013 when Nigeria officially released her Global Adult Tobacco Survey result to the public, The President, who was represented by the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said:  “If you smoke, chew or sniff tobacco or engage in all of them, please quit! Your doctor and health providers can help you break the habit. If you don’t use tobacco, don’t start. I appeal to health professionals to help their smoking patients quit, and be role models who promote tobacco-free lifestyles.

Speaking further, the Hon. Minister added: “On my part, I promise that I would do all in my power to ensure that the revised but stiffer anti-tobacco bill which will soon be presented to the Federal Executive Council becomes law."

It is sad to note that till now, nothing has been done about this as the Hon. Minister is yet to match words with action! Our Concern is that a lot of young people (i.e. teenagers and children) now have access to and have become addicted users of tobacco in the country. Tobacco use has been established to be the entry point for drugs usage and addiction, and since we take the position that “Smokers are victims and are not bad people, we have a responsibility to educate them and urge them to quit.”

The good news is that Nigeria now has the opportunity to prevent the initiation of her future workforce into this addiction chamber and avoid the social and economic burden that tobacco use has been proven to cause by passing and implementing a comprehensive set of tobacco control policies and legislation.

We are therefore appealing YET AGAIN to the Hon. Minister for Health to finish the task assigned to his team by leading the charge in ensuring the draft bill is presented to the FEC without delay and approved so it can move onto consideration by the Senate & House of Representatives. This is our CLARION CALL!

To join us in making this strong appeal to the Hon. Minister of Health, add your voice by visiting his facebook page, like our post, drop your comments and share widely with others. Let’s help make Nigeria a SMOKE-FREE zone TODAY

You should also actively participate in the discussions presently ongoing on the following social media platforms:
- Twitter: Follow @TobaccoCtrl
- Facebook: Visit and like Tobaccoctrl
- Google Plus: add Tobaccoctrl to your circle
- 2go: add Tobaccoctrl



Wednesday, October 09, 2013

Our Tobacco Control Appeal to the Hon. Minister of Health


Since the current administration began in 2011, there has been a deliberate effort at presenting a scorecard of its work come May every year. This year was no exception as each minister in the federal cabinet made presentations on the work over the past year and its impact on the lives of Nigerians.


The Hon. Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu made his presentation on June 13, 2013 as part of the 2013 Ministerial Platform to showcase the mid-term achievements of the current GEJ administration in the health sector. One of this is the eradication of guinea worm in Nigeria for which the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued Nigeria a certificate to be presented later in 2013.

However, while we celebrate this, we wish to call attention to an issue we believe needs to be treated with greater urgency as we seek to protect the health of Nigerians without discrimination. This is none other than the enactment of a Tobacco Control Bill in Nigeria.

In July 2012, Mr. President delegated to a team of ministers led by the Hon. Minister of Health, the task of drafting a new executive bill on Tobacco Control for proper legislation. This was after the efforts pre-2011 has failed to get Presidential approval for the bill passed by both chambers of the legislative arm of government in that session.

On June 14, 2013, while making his presentation at the 2013 Ministerial Platform, the Hon. Minister of Health was widely quoted as saying 'smoking will soon be banned in Nigeria as the Federal Government could no longer condone smoking.'

On Saturday 20th  July 2013, President Jonathan speaking in Abuja said that a revised anti-tobacco bill that provides tougher control on use is ready for legislative action. According to him, the Attorney General of the Federation has concluded work on the bill, while the Federal Executive Council would soon give a final approval for onward presentation to the National Assembly. He also gave the assurance of ample political will to ensure the bill becomes law.

These statements were widely reported in the media without any rebuttals from the Presidency nor the Hon. Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu.

It is therefore of great concern that in spite of all these words, the team assigned by the President to draft a new bill on Tobacco Control (aka Anti-Tobacco) Bill and led by the Hon. Minister of Health is yet to submit its work to the President & the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for deliberations and onward passage to the National Assembly by the President.

While it is true work has been concluded on drafting the bill, failure to present such before FEC to deliberate and approve for onward passage to the National Assembly has become a critical cog in the wheel of making the draft bill into law.

Knowing this is the first step with others following as outlined in our legislative process, we are therefore appealing to the Hon. Minister for Health to finish the task assigned to his team by leading the charge in ensuring the draft bill is presentation before FEC without delay and approved so it can move onto consideration by the Senate & House of Representatives. This is our CLARION CALL!


To join us in making this strong appeal to the Hon. Minister of Health, add your voice by visiting his facebook page, like our post, drop your comments and share widely with others. Lets help make Nigeria a SMOKE-FREE zone TODAY

Wednesday, October 02, 2013

Quit Making Excuses & Stop NOW!


I don't know about you but I dare anyone to say s/he has never tried to rationalize things before.  Infact, one might find oneself rationalizing once a hard decision is to be taken almost every time. When it comes to our lifestyle, rationalizing a bad habit is human nature, especially if it is a habit that has been done for quite a while.

Smoking is not different as many people toy with the idea of quitting smoking, only to settle back into old habits at the sign of stress or simply as a fear of change.  For those who struggle tremendously with quitting smoking, the belief that "some people just can't quit" resonates with their broken confidence in their ability to quit. 

The biology of addiction & withdrawal as well as psychological dynamics of smoking scheme to undermine the smokers' self-confidence, which is a central component of long-term quitting success.

While changing smoking status can be hard,no excuse is good enough not to stop. It is important therefore, to know & understand some of the most common excuses you might be using to delay stopping and/or justify your smoking habit.

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1) The damage is done
Some people practice self-deceit claiming that they are so far gone that there is virtually no reason for them to even try to quit. This is a self-defeating and self-fulfilling prophesy as researchers have confirmed that 48 hours after your last cigarette, the body will begin to heal.

This means that as soon as a person quits, the body begins to repair itself with marked improvements seen in breathing and sense of taste and smell just a few days after stopping. By quitting, we will also be improving the health of our family and friends by not exposing them to passive smoking or second hand smoking.

2) I'll gain weight
Some folks think they need to smoke to control their weight and if they stop, their body weight will balloon. This common misconception is a very dangerous trend that should be nipped in the bud. According to the experts, nicotine does not stop you from becoming hungry instead the habit might reduce the opportunity for one to eat. Anyway, undertaking some regular exercise or eating low-fat food options is much more beneficial for weight control

3) I'll get stressed
It is amazing how many people once stressed, resort to a puff. Despite what you may think, nicotine doesn't calm you down as nicotine cravings between cigarette sessions make you feel stressed and anxious. Quitting the habit ensures these cravings over time reduce and is eliminated.

4) Quitting will ruin my social life
For many people, cigarettes are an important part of their social life with some of us only having a cigarette when with friends who smoke or during nights out. You may also have bonded with colleagues during cigarette breaks.

However, cigarettes are not the ultimate party trick as there is a lot more to explore around us helping us to expand our horizons. It's a good idea to give up friends who are impatient with you for giving up the cigarette.

5) Smoking looks good
For some people, holding a stick of tobacco wrapped in paper seems attractive and fashionable. Teenagers may think it makes them look older or cooler but many people find the sight of a smoker unattractive. Yellow fingernails, blackened fingers and a stained tongue are not a pretty sight.

Smoking also makes your complexion dull and prematurely ages your skin. So if you don't want to look old before your time, it's a good idea to quit. Also, cigarette smoke sticks to our bodies long after having the last cigarette of the day. Some people think kissing a smoker is like 'kissing an ashtray'. If you'd prefer to smell fresher, now's the time to quit.

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There is some truth in smoking is an addiction that's undeniably tough to quit but it's not impossible. However, to quit requires a lot of determination, so when you catch yourself making any of these excuses or inventing new ones, think again and reconsider for your health depends on it!


To spread the 'No Tobacco' gospel, join the campaign for Tobacco Control legislation in Nigeria by signing up as a Cause Champion. Simply send your 1) Name, 2) Email address, 3) Telephone No and 4) Location to info(at)socialresponsibilitymanagers.org. Signing up will get you a chance to have a specially designed Facebook, Twitter and G+ profile banner graced with Stella Damasus' and Fela Durotoye's pictures.

You should also actively participate in the discussions presently ongoing on the following social media platforms:
- Twitter: Follow @TobaccoCtrl
- Facebook: Visit and like Tobaccoctrl
- Google Plus: add Tobaccoctrl to your circle
- 2go: add Tobaccoctrl