FCTA Urges Law To Punish People Sending Kids To Buy Tobacco

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has called on the Federal Government to create a law that would prosecute parents who send kids to buy tobacco products.

Dr Doris John, Director of the Public Health Department at FCTA, made this appeal during a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday in observance of the 2024 World No Tobacco Day, celebrated annually on May 31.

She said that students were involved in a road walk to align with the 2024 World No Tobacco Day theme, “Protecting Children from Tobacco Industry Interference.”

Dr John advised parents to stop smoking in front of their children. She criticised the practice of sending children to purchase tobacco products, calling for strict penalties for such parents.

She also suggested that schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) should establish “No Tobacco Clubs” to help reduce tobacco use in the country.

Dr John emphasised the harmful effects of tobacco, noting that it kills over 8 million people each year worldwide, including more than 7 million active smokers and over 1 million non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke.

She highlighted that smokers’ life expectancy is at least 10 years less than that of non-smokers.

“In Nigeria, more than 25 000 children between 10 and 14 years are daily tobacco users, while the age of tobacco use initiation is between 13 and 15 years; secondary school and university studies show ‘shisha’ smoking rates between 3 to 7 per cent,” she said.

Dr Kumshida Balami, the FCT Coordinator for the World Health Organisation (WHO), encouraged children to join the campaign against tobacco use and to avoid tobacco products for a healthier lifestyle.

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