Tobacco Bill Scales Second Reading in House of Representative

The Nigerian Federal House of Representatives yesterday passed into second reading a bill seeking to reduce the effect of tobacco smoking in Nigeria.

While going through the processes, the House engaged manufacturers in the tobacco industry, civil society groups, nongovernmental organisations, healthcare professionals etc. on the enactment of the bill which aims stop the sale and consumption of tobacco products among young people.

According to the House leader, Hon. Mulikat Akande Adeola, the bill titled: 'National Tobacco Control Bill 2014',  is in tandem with the 2005 International Tobacco Control Convention to which Nigeria is a signatory.

He stated that about six million people die prematurely as a result of the harmful effect of tobacco. He also said if this was not checked, over N1 trillion would be spent on treating tobacco related diseases.

The public hearing on prohibition of the sale of tobacco to young people also featured ten different health related bills for deliberation.

The bills include:- Bill for an Act to provide free integrated Maternal Newborn and Child Health Care Programme for Women and Children in all government controlled medical facilities; a Bill for an Act to provide Medical Professional Indemnity; to establish the Medical Negligence Complaints Committee; an Act to enact the Tobacco Smoking (control) bill and to regulate the production; an Act to provide for compensation of victims of road accident and an Act to enact the Nigerian Mental Health bill.

Others are a bill for an Act to Amend the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Act; a bill for an Act to amend the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act; a bill for an Act to establish the Federal College of Medical Laboratory Science in Jos, Plateau State; a bill for an Act to establish the National Post Graduate College of Medical Laboratory Science and a bill for an Act to promote Voluntary Blood Donation for an adequate supply of safe blood, regulating blood banks.

Submittng its position on tobacco sale prohibition, the manufacturers, under the aegis of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and other interest groups, stated that care should be taken to protect them as provided  by the Article of Trade of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) which Nigeria is signatory.

Segun Sotola of the Initiative for Public Policy Advocacy argued that: "The law, if passed, will totally violate the rights of the willing smoker.  The law should protect the rights of both smokers and non-smokers. There are some levels within the industry that government needs to tap into.

"If you ban smoking, tobacco would still find its way illegally."
Segun Ajayi Kadri of MAN said: "We are in total support of the bill, and we want a bill that will take into account the rights of the producers, distributors, smokers and non-smokers alike. We are of the view that provision of incentives to the producers should also be amended." Hajiya Maryam Uwais of the Child Rights Protection Initiative noted that:

"The bill should amend clauses that encourage the designation of places where people can smoke such as school, stadia or parks, because it is not smokers alone who use these places. And their use of these places is not restricted to a particular period to pave way for smokers to smoke.

"We also want a change in the wordings regarding the use of displayed messages showing the health hazards of smoking. Clear and comprehensive pictures of the dangers of smoking are also strongly advised for people to be aware of the kind of choices they make while smoking."

While declaring the hearing open, the Speaker of the House, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who was represented by the House's Chief Whip, Hon. Ishaka Mohammed Bawa, described the hearing as an integral part of lawmaking which helps lawmakers to aggregate opinions with a view to arriving at credible conclusions that would shape the intents and spirits of the laws made.

"Public hearing for any bill is an integral part of legislative processes, and this is no exception. More so, a recent United Nations report has put Nigeria child and maternal mortality in the ratio of 549 in every 1000 cases," Tambuwal said.