Senate urges government to ban tobacco adverts

diamond hope

February 7, 2018 1:59 PM

The Senate is urging the government to protect the youth from being attracted to tobacco given its negative addiction and effects.

On Tuesday, February 6, 2018, the Senate urged the Federal Government to ban tobacco companies from using adverts and signs within 100 meters of schools in order to stop attracting youth into early smoking of cigarettes.

It also urged the ministries of health both at federal and state levels to promote and advertise the 'No sale of tobacco to minors' signage. These resolutions followed an adopted motion sponsored by Senator Oluremi Tinubu and co-sponsored by five other senators.

In her lead debate on the motion, Tinubu was worried that the outcome of research by Nigeria tobacco research group in five states showed that the tobacco companies were in the ploy to position their adverts and signage close to most schools to bait teenagers.

The lawmakers said the development was contrary to the framework convention on tobacco control and the National Tobacco Control Act 2018 aimed at the prevention and substantial reduction of accessibility of tobacco and tobacco products to young people.

Other prohibitions by the act are the sale of cigarettes from a vending machine, advertisement, sponsorship and consumption of tobacco products, smoking in schools, health facilities, playgrounds and public places.

Yet, it was observed that tobacco epidemic has been sustained by the increasing number of youths into the smoker's population.

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