Jigawa and Kano states have emerged as the top-ranking states among the 36 in Nigeria with the highest numbers of tobacco smokers, according to findings revealed during a high-level stakeholders’ engagement.
Mr. Solomon Adoga, the Senior Programmes Officer of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), shared this information during his address at the event held on Wednesday at a three-star hotel in Dutse.
The engagement primarily focused on exploring how state governments could adopt national frameworks for tobacco control.
Adoga highlighted that CISLAC, with support from the Tax Justice Network, facilitated a sponsored multi-stakeholder engagement on tobacco taxation in Jigawa.
The initiative aims to curb tobacco use due to its severe health risks.
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“It is regrettable that research indicates Kano and Jigawa lead the list of states with high tobacco consumption in Nigeria. Alarmingly, many of these users are youths, some even below the legal age,” Adoga remarked.
He explained that “to control the use of Tobacco it is of Paramount that Jigawa state government adopt and domesticate National Tobacco Control Act (2015) and Tobacco Tax Policy to save lives of our youth who are future leaders in our state.
Adoga added that “Some of the laws that need to be adopted include ban on sell of cigarettes single stick, prohibition of smoking in public places and sells of Tobacco to minors ( under eighteen years old) in the state”, Solomon quoted.
The senior programmes officer maintained that the purpose of engaging and interacting with relevant stakeholders like traditional) religious leaders, youth groups, civil society organisations and media is to help in creating awareness on the dangers of Tobacco as well to advocate to both legislative and executives to domesticate and adopt the laws.
Mr Solomon then urged the participants to support the moves by amplifying their voices to achieve the desired goals for better future development of the state and to save thousands of lives of our teeming youths.
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