Anti-Smoking Legislation in Nigeria

At 27, Lanre Lawal seemed to have a bright future. He had distinguished himself as a fine student with a degree in civil engineering. For the young man from Osun state in southwestern Nigeria, a promising job with a good income was almost certain. But Lanre’s joy was short lived. One day he slumped to the floor and was rushed to the hospital. That was in 2007. He died three months later from lung cancer. Peter Oguns, Lawal's childhood friend, said Lawal had been a regular smoker since their secondary school years. “There’s nothing I didn’t do to try to stop him from smoking but he wouldn’t listen," Oguns said. "He was so addicted that he smoked at least 10 sticks a day." Lawal is one of many Nigerian young people who have struggled with tobacco addiction. Despite the danger tobacco poses, the federal government has yet to sign into law a wide-ranging act which will regulate the sale and advertising of tobacco products and restrict where people are allowed to smoke People under the age of 18 won't be allowed to buy cigarettes, and health warnings will have to cover at least 50 percent of the packaging. All forms of tobacco advertisements, sponsorships, promotions and endorsements will be banned. In July 2009, over 40 civil society groups, lawyers and public health advocates stormed the National Assembly in the capital, Abuja, to demand that the Nigerian legislature to sign the National Tobacco Control Bill into law. The bill had been brought before the Assembly five months earlier, but it took more than two years before lawmakers finally approved it. Since March 2011, the bill has been awaiting ratification by the federal government. Nigeria is at serious risk of President Goodluck Jonathan does not ratify the bill, said Tola Oyebode, a doctor and a member of one of the protest groups. "I see people die every day from tobacco addiction," Oyebode said.