Health minister declares war on tobacco

08.06.2009

Following frightening statistics which indicates that tobacco is the leading preventable cause of deaths in the world which, puts more than five million people on the death row every year, surpassing HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis combined, the Minister of Health, Professor Babatunde Osotimehin, has declared a war on tobacco.

Further to this, he called for strong vigilance against tobacco companies, which he said portend “more danger to our people than any other killer item.”

The minister gave the indication on Sunday, in Abuja, during the celebration of the 2009 World No Tobacco Day. He called upon persons who smoke, snuff, chew tobacco, or used it in any other manner to use the day to reflect on their actions and desist from doing so “considering the health risks associated with tobacco use and the disease and preventable death it causes.”

Osotimehin lamented the ploy of the tobacco industries who “are continuously guided by profit motive to put the lives of people on danger.

“Tobacco companies spend tens of millions of dollars every year turning new users into addicts and keeping current users from quitting” he said, adding that, through advertising and promotional campaigns, including the use of carefully crafted package designs, the tobacco industry continue to diver attention from the deadly effects of its products.”