A bill titled: “Bill for an Act to Repeal the Tobacco (Control) Act, 1990 cap. T6 LFN 2004 and to Enact the National Tobacco Control Bill 2012 to Provide for the Regulation or Control of Production, Manufacture, Sale, Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship of Tobacco or Tobacco Products in Nigeria and for Other Related Matters,” yesterday sparked a heated debate on the floor of the Nigerian Senate as the bill seeks to ban the smoking of tobacco in the country.
Although the original intent of the bill was not to outlaw tobacco consumption, as debate on the bill progressed, it gradually took that turn after the proposed law sponsored by Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, was considered for second reading.
While those who opposed the bill were mainly guided by the fact that it would contravene the fundamental human rights of the citizens, those who supported it did so on the grounds that outlawing the consumption of the product will help save millions of lives. It took the intervention of Senate President, David Mark to resolve the controversy that ensued.
According to Senator Mark, the decision as to whether or not to ban the consumption of the product should be thrown to the public domain for the people of Nigeria to decide.
The Senate President, who acknowledged that both sides of the argument were compelling, held that, “that decision should be left for the people of Nigeria to make when the bill goes to the public hearing.”
Meanwhile, the bill as proposed by Okowa, seeks to provide a legal framework for the regulation and control of production, manufacture, sale, labeling, advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco and tobacco products in Nigeria.
It was also about regulating and controlling the use of tobacco and exposure to tobacco smoke in order to protect the health of the Nigerian public.
The lawmaker clarified that the bill does not prohibit the manufacture, production, distribution or commercialization of tobacco products, instead it seeks to regulate tobacco consumption to protect the right of health and life of consumers and non-smokers.
According to him, “the right to commerce and economic freedom must be balanced with citizens’ right to health, life, information and security.”
While observing that smoking was a habit which is difficult to quit, Okowa stated that, “regulation becomes necessary, because there is a conflict of interest between government’s role to protect public health and the goals of the tobacco industry to increase tobacco use and its profits.”
Some of the statistics he used in supporting the bill included the fact that tobacco use was the leading cause of preventable death globally, even as tobacco use kills nearly six million people annually.
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