Following the high mortality rate of tobacco users in the country, the federal government said yesterday it had concluded plans to ban tobacco use in Nigeria.
The decision, it said, was part of the implementation of the Tobacco Control Act of 2015 which is the national law domesticating the World Health Organisation Framework on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, made the disclosure while addressing the 8th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP8), to the WHO FCTC in Geneva, Switzerland.
He noted that through multi-sectoral engagement involving government and civil society organisations, the federal government had began mass awareness campaigns on the provisions of the National Tobacco Control Act 2015, to create the enabling environment for enforcement.
“Government had reviewed the standard for cigarettes to include the complete ban on cigarettes with characterising flavour, including menthol.
“Government of Nigeria had ratified the protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products, adding that the instrument of accession would be finalised and deposited at the United Nations Headquarters”, the minister said in a statement issued in Abuja. Read more
