A non governmental organisation known as ‘Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre’ (CISLAC) has charged Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Gombe State to work assiduously towards reducing drastically the smoking of cigarettes in the state.
The NGO gave the charge during a meeting with stakeholders from CSOs in the state on tobacco control held at GOFCECON Hotel, Gombe, Gombe State.
Mr Solomon Adoga from CISLAC who presided over the meeting said the NGO had met with the state ministry of justice and that of health in recent time with a view to advocating government’s policies to control tobacco use via tax increment on tobacco industries and products.
He said such higher taxes is part of measures to make the commodity scarce thereby mitigating its usage and effects on the environment.
According to him, the activity was under the ‘Tobacco Tax Advocacy in Nigeria’ project being implemented by CISLAC with support from Tax Justice Network Africa.
He noted that tobacco use poses threat to public health adding that smoking can damage every part of the body and can cause cancers of the head, neck, lung, kidney, pancreas, bladder etc
Solomon added that smokers are also liable to develop chronic diseases like stroke, blindness, gum infection, heart disease, pneumonia, hardening of the arteries, asthma and reduced fertility among other health problems.
He therefore urged the CSOs engaged by CISLAC to continue with the advocacies to make the state government to do the needful.
