Don't Miss

National Assembly commended over Tobacco Control Bill

By BusinessNews Staff on October 24, 2014

Stakeholders at the recently held Tobacco Control Bill (NTCB) public hearing commended the Senate and the executive arm of government for proactively coming up with bills to address the issues of regulation, and control of production, manufacturing, sale, advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco or tobacco products in Nigeria.
Speaking at the public hearing, Nigerian Association of chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) represented by one of its national officers, the organisation commended the National Assembly for the bill.
According to NACCIMA the bill will go a long way in further sanitising the industry but advised the law makers to ensure enacting a producer-user friendly legislation that will drastically reduce the negative effects and maximise the positive effects of tobacco production and smoking in Nigeria.
In its presentation, the Intellectual Property Law Association of Nigeria (IPLAN) represented by its president, Prof. Bankole Sodipo urged the National Assembly to amend the bill in order to align with the Nigerian constitution and the international treaties to which Nigeria is a party.
According to him, the bills from the view point of owners and practitioners dealing with issues concerning the intellectual property and wish to raise concern on some aspects of the bill, “Nigeria’s obligations under the World Trade Organisation’s Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Agreement (TRIPS), and the increasing role of foreign direct investment.
Presenting its organisation’s memorandum, the Director of Environmental Rights Action and Friends of the Earth (ERA), Akinbode Oluwafemi commended the senate for championing the course of regulating the tobacco industry. He noted that his organisation is calling for the regulation of the contents of tobacco products as well as the packaging and labelling of tobacco products in the country.
According to him, they are also advocating the rights of non-smokers since tobacco is the only commodity a consumer consumes and it affects a non-consumer of the product.
British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) also expressed its commitment to supporting appropriate regulation for the legal tobacco industry and reiterated its commitment to supporting the Senate committee on health towards getting an enhanced understanding of all issues as it concerns tobacco regulation.
The Director of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, BAT West Africa, Freddy Messanvi said that BATN had always supported appropriate regulation for the tobacco industry in Nigeria and have cooperated and collaborated with government agencies towards ensuring that existing regulations are enforced.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Senate committee on Health and the sponsor of the bill, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa said, it was not the intention of the bill to drive away the legal industry but to make them operate in a responsible manner for the sake of the health of our citizen as the hearing will strengthen the bill to address some issues confronting the health system.
Among other groups that made their presentations at the public hearing include Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Institute for Public Policy Analysis (IPPA); Action Health Incorporated; African Liberty; Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria; Association of Tobacco Distributors.

[This Day]

headline