It cannot be disputed that while smoking is optional,
breathing is not. Ban on smoking in certain public places has therefore been recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to protect non-smokers from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke which include heart diseases, stroke etc.
A Global Health Observatory data reveals that second-hand smoke is one of the most harmful and widespread exposures in the indoor environment. It notes that more than a third of us are regularly exposed to the harmful effects of smoke with fatalities put at 600,000 per year, and accounting for at least 1% of the global burden of disease.
Because of this, hundreds of countries have introduced laws banning smoking in indoor places as the easiest way to reduce their health care costs.
While the tobacco companies operating in Nigeria bask in the euphoria that the Tobacco Control Act 2015 signed by former President, Goodluck Jonathan did not outrightly ban smoking in all public places, public health advocates believe the legislation has not gone far enough.
This argument finds meaning when viewed from the prism that Nigerians cannot forget in a hurry the barrage of groups claiming to promote smokers’ rights during the Public Hearings on the National Tobacco Control Bill (now Tobacco Control Act 2015) between 2014 and May 2015 when the law finally got the presidential signature. These groups, believed to be fronts for tobacco industry operators, claimed that introduction of Designated Smoking Areas (DSAs) will guarantee the rights of smokers without infringing on the rights of non-smokers.
Experts, however, discountenance the so-called smokers groups as role players of the tobacco corporations only interested in sustaining their profits by maintaining a stranglehold on addicted smokers. On an expanded scale, it is not a deniable fact that, the tobacco industry is in cahoots with the hospitality industry, promoting a lie that the hotels, restaurants and other places frequented by fun seekers will lose customers if smoking is disallowed in such places. Tobacco companies are known sponsors of restaurant owners’ associations which are deployed as fronts to campaign against the ban on smoke-free public places. The industry does this despite the growing body of evidence that smoking is harmful not just to smokers’ health, but secondary smokers as well.
Secret tobacco industry documents show they are ready to spend millions of dollars promoting films where actors are seen smoking to make the habit seem hype. In one of such documents, a leading tobacco corporation was said to have considered investing in a f2.25m ($4.2m) action film with a heroine who smoked, for distribution in Europe as part of an aggressive marketing campaign, according to an article published in the European Journal of Public Health.
In Lagos State which passed a legislation in 2014 prohibiting smoking in certain public places, public health advocates raised the alarm about attempts by British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) to confuse the public through several meetings with implementing agencies of the legislation including the Nigeria Police. The meetings were said to have served as platforms for promotion of DSAs and redefinition of smoke-free environments.
These attempts do not, however, erode global studies that point to smoke-free public places as influencing reduction in demand for tobacco by creating an environment where smoking becomes increasingly more difficult. While the tobacco industry advocates limited smoke-free places with DSAs obviously for sustaining profits, medical experts insist total ban on smoking in public places is the way to go as they play a critical role in helping to shift social norms away from the acceptance of smoking in everyday life. Smoking ban has been confirmed by the WHO as an important element in reducing smoking rates and promoting positive health outcomes.
Researches from the United States and Europe show that banning smoking in public places have helped to cut premature births by 10 per cent.
Ireland is noted as the first country in the world to have instituted a nationwide comprehensive smoke- free workplaces law. The law which came into force on 29th of March, 2004 expands on an existing outlaw of smoking in public places which began in 1988 and has been enforced in public buildings, hospitals, public pharmacies, schools, banking halls, cinemas, public hairdressing premises, restaurant kitchens, part of all restaurants, on public transport, aircraft and buses, among others.
On 1st July, 2009, Ireland prohibited in-store tobacco advertising and displays of tobacco products at retail outlets and new controls on tobacco vending machines. Following this successful example, Norway and Italy also did same. Britain, Portugal and Sweden, have drafted plans to establish similar laws.
These countries latch on Article 8 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTe) which recommends that Parties to the treaty adopt effective legislative measures “providing for protection from exposure to tobacco smoke in indoor workplaces, public transport, indoor public places and, as appropriate, other public places.”
The guidelines state that” approaches other than 100 per cent smoke free laws environments, including ventilation, air filtration and the use of designated smoking areas … have repeatedly shown to be ineffective and there is conclusive evidence, scientific and otherwise, that engineering approaches do not protect against exposure to tobacco smoke.”
As of this date, a host of countries have introduced similar laws, prompting the question: If progressive nations have discarded DSAs successfully to safeguard the wellness of their citizens, why can’t Nigeria do it?
It will be worthwhile that the provision in the Tobacco Control Act which permits DSAs in all outdoor public places, work places and on public transport is reviewed to conform to the emerging global standards that has the nod of the WHO. The overall benefits to this nation comes in form of improved work productivity, reduced risk of fire in areas with explosive hazards; while an incentive for smokers to quit can surely not be ignored.
Adelabu wrote in from Lagos

Felix Adelabu