3.1m Nigerians smoke, says new survey

An estimated 3.1 million Nigerian adults smoke tobacco, though 82% know it causes “serious illness”, says the first-ever survey of tobacco prevalence. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey, GATS, showed even more Nigerians are exposed to second-hand smoke. Some 2.7 million adults are exposed to tobacco smoke at workplaces,5.2 million are exposed to smoke at home and […]

An estimated 3.1 million Nigerian adults smoke tobacco, though 82% know it causes “serious illness”, says the first-ever survey of tobacco prevalence.

The Global Adult Tobacco Survey, GATS, showed even more Nigerians are exposed to second-hand smoke.

Some 2.7 million adults are exposed to tobacco smoke at workplaces,
5.2 million are exposed to smoke at home and 6.4 million are exposed
to smoke when visiting restaurants.
GATS sampled nearly 9,000 adults over age 15 in some 11,000 households
across the country last year, and its release, Thursday, in Abuja
prompted President Goodluck Jonathan to call for “more efficient and
effective enforcement of the ban of smoking in public places.”
Tobacco is “the only legal consumer product that kills one-third to
half of those who use it as intended by its manufacturers, with its
victims dying on average 15 years prematurely,” the
president said in comments delivered by health minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu.

Stand up for your right

The president urged non-smokers to stand up “for their right to a
smoke-free environment”, insisting partner smokers were exposed to as
much risks as active smokers.

He also called for effective health warnings, “especially those that
include pictures” to motivate smokers to quit tobacco.

The survey indicates Nigerians each month spend on average N1,200
about one-sixth the monthly minimum wage on cigarettes.

Around six million yearly deaths are attributable to tobacco, and the
deaths could rise to eight million by 2030 if current trends continue,
said the World Health Organisation.

WHO’s country representative in Nigeria, Dr Rui Gama Vaz, said GATS,
the first-ever on the continent, was an “unprecedented opportunity”
for controlling tobacco in Africa.

Public health experts have accused tobacco manufacturers of putting
profit before lives and seeking newer markets.

Okey Nwayanwu of the Centre for Disease Control spoke of evidence that
“tobacco companies are investing heavily in getting younger people
hooked on their products.”

“As developed countries continue to push against tobacco, the industry
continues to push for new grounds to dump their products,” he said.

Olabode Oluwafemi of Environment Rights Action spoke of “evidence”
that tobacco companies were targeting Nigeria on account of its
impressionable youth and oil money.
Analysts say the companies ride on promotion, sponsorship and
advertising to create market the perception that cigarettes are cool.

The GATS study found that at least five in every 10 Nigerian adults
“did not believe smoking causes stroke.”