Tobacco war: Group tackles Minister over bias statement

A pro-choice coalition group on the auspices of Liberty Forum Initiative (LFI), has called on the Federal Government to henceforth advise ministers of the federal republic on making selfish comments on sensitive issues bothering the country.

The group through its liaison officer, Waheed Ademola faulted a disparaging statement against tobacco firms in the country credited to the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewale during a visit to his office by an anti-tobacco recently.

According to Ademola “The office of the Minister of Health is an exalted position and never a position to inflict injuries on any firm because of a ‘personal hatred’. It is either you are there for the Federal Republic of Nigeria or you are at home with your problems.”

This was sequel to the Minister’s response to anti-tobacco group’s visit when the minister said ‘I have a personal and official reason for fighting tobacco and will do anything to make our people stop smoking.’

Ademola advised the minister to be pro-active in his dealings on health issues rather than singling out tobacco firms as culprits in his perceive hatred for tobacco firms.

According to him, a lots of Nigerians are suffering from different ailments such as HIV, diabetes and several others with no adequate provisions for medical care arising from long neglect of the public health system.

Similarly, another member of the group, Mr. Wakama Nnanna, said there are lots of things in life that are potentially not good health. “Now smoking may come quite high up that bar but drinking too much alcohol, drinking too many sugary drinks, eating too much fatty food and dairy products, there are lots and lots of things that are potentially bad for our health and we can’t go around banning all these things.”

For Damilola Harrison “prohibition doesn’t work. I think everybody knows the example of America where they tried to prohibit alcohol and they had to give up that experiment after 12 years because it was a terrible failure because the people who took over the market were the criminal gangs and the bootleggers.

“I think the health message has got across to most people and in many cases that has discouraged people from taking up smoking in the first place. It has also encouraged some people to give up, but many people are prepared to take the risk because they enjoy smoking and because they enjoy it they’re not going to give it up until a product comes along that gives them the same pleasure that smoking tobacco does.”