Osun: House of Assembly orders arrest of smokers

The Osun State House of Assembly has directed security operatives in the state to arrest people found smoking in public places, in compliance with the state law on smoking. The Speaker of the House, Timothy Owoeye, gave the directive yesterday at a sitting in the House in Osogbo, the state capital. The order came on […]

The Osun State House of Assembly has directed security operatives in the state to arrest people found smoking in public places, in compliance with the state law on smoking.

The Speaker of the House, Timothy Owoeye, gave the directive yesterday at a sitting in the House in Osogbo, the state capital.

The order came on the heels of the advocacy by the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Alliance Nigeria as part of the activities marking the 2019 Global Week for Action on Non-Communicable Diseases.

A public health physician, Dr Adeniyi Samuel Oginni, Lead Person, NCD Alliance Nigeria, told lawmakers at the sitting that 39.5 million people die from NCDs every year globally, with tobacco smoking and alcohol intake major risk factors.

Oginni, who is the Executive Secretary of Osun Health Insurance Agency, admonished Nigerians to imbibe healthy lifestyles to reduce sudden deaths.

Owoeye assured Oginni that the legislature would provide the necessary support towards the realization of the NCD goals.

The Speaker directed the Clerk of the House to write security agencies in the state to start arresting whoever they found smoking in public places in any part of the state as part of immediate action to address the scourge of non-communicable diseases.