Senators expressed dismay at how school children are, daily, exposed to tobacco advertisements and jingles in a learning environment.
Senate specifically frowned at how tobacco companies are allowed to position advertisements and signs within 100 meters of schools.
The Red Chamber resolved to urge the Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant enforcement agencies to ensure comprehensive prohibition of tobacco advertising promotion and sponsorship such as cigarette advertisement within and on windows, stores and kiosks, advertisement of smokeless or flavoured tobacco and tobacco logo/symbols on non-tobacco objects.
Senate also resolved to urge the ministries of Health, Education and Information and Culture at the federal and state levels to work together, and ban advertisement and location of point of sales of tobacco products within 100 metres of all schools.
They also resolved to ask the Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant enforcement agencies to urgently ensure a framework for monitoring of the implementation of the ban on single sticks and cigarette packs with less than 20 sticks as detailed in the National Tobacco Control Act, 2018.
The Ministry of Health, the chamber said, should promote and advertise the ‘No Sale of Tobacco to Minors’ signage.
The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion on “The need to immediately ban tobacco companies from targeting school children in Nigeria,” sponsored by Senator Oluremi Tinubu and five others.
In her lead debate, Tinubu alleged there is a deliberate ploy by tobacco companies to position tobacco advertisements and signs within 100 metres of schools, to stimulate children and youth into early interest in the use of tobacco products.
She noted that the survey carried out by the Nigeria Tobacco Research Group, in five states across four geopolitical zones showed the location of Tobacco Products Point of Sales within visible distance of schools, with several being 100 metres or less, away from schools.
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The lawmaker said some of the schools, according to research are Kings Secondary School, Agbani Road, Enugu (37 metres); Mother Care International Nursery and Primary School, Nasarawa (13 metres); Danbo College Challawa Road, Kaduna (12 metres); lqraah Primary School, Ode-Aje, lbadan (14 metres); Agidingbi Junior Grammar School, Lagos (20 metres); Herbert Macaulay Primary School, Yaba, Lagos (2 metres) and Aguda Community High School, Aguda-Surulere, Lagos (10 metres).
“This is contrary to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the National Tobacco Control Act, 2018 which is aimed at the prevention and substantial reduction of accessibility of tobacco and tobacco products to young people.
“Tobacco consumption has been associated with lung cancer, myocardial infraction, chronic bronchitis, cardiovascular diseases etc. Tobacco use is a cause of preventable death in the world and it is projected that, at least, eight million deaths annually will be recorded as a result of tobacco use in 2030,” the legislator said.
She also noted that annually, the tobacco epidemic is sustained by the addition of many youths to the population of smokers. Reports have shown that four, out of every five adult smokers, started smoking at age18.
Senator Tinubu further noted that the display of tobacco and tobacco products alongside confectioneries purchased and consumed by children and adolescents may lead to exposure, experimentation and use and reminded her colleagues that Nigeria is a party to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Tinubu further reminded them that the National Tobacco Control Act, which was assented to in 2018, prohibits the sale of cigarettes to persons under age 18, sale of cigarettes from a vending machine, sale of single sticks or packs of less than twenty (20) sticks, prohibits advertisement, sponsorship and promotion of tobacco products, bans smoking in schools, health facilities, playgrounds and public places etc;
She insisted that the Senate should be determined to protect Nigerian children from aggressive marketing tactics of profiteering tobacco companies.
Senators including, Olusola Adeyeye, Magnus Abe, Barau Jibrin, and Emmanuel Bwacha, who contributed to the debate, supported the motion and prayed Senate take immediate action to halt the trend, in the interest of the country.
