By: Joy Odor/Kaduna
In a bid to save younger generation from having high rate of lung cancer and heart diseases, a Health Practitioner has called on Federal Government to ban tobacco companies from supplying cigarettes into the Country.
The Director of Womanhood Health School Foundation, Hajiya Maryam Abubakar who joined the rest of the world in commemorating world tobacco-day by sensitizing students on dangers associated in smoking and its health hazards disclosed this to newsmen in Kaduna Wednesday during the interactive forum.
Hajiya Maryam Abubakar said report indicates that over five million people die worldwide as a result of tobacco intake annually while many are affected by lung cancer, heart diseases including heart attacks, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, erectile dysfunction, birth defects and other ailments.
According to her, the report also revealed that about one billion people worldwide practice tobacco smoking with reasons given as recreational and fulfillment of some religious rituals, among several others.
Hajiya Maryam Abubakar called on government at various levels to introduce war against tobacco and other hard drugs in all the thirty-six state of the federation to save younger generation against all forms of smoking and cardiovascular disease starting from the grassroots.
She also enjoined non-governmental organizations, civil societies, traditional and religious institute, corporate bodies and stakeholders to redouble effort in sensitizing the public on the dangers of tobacco smoking.
In his speech, an Anatomist in the Foundation, Mallam Abdulhakim Mohammad Miko disclosed that many passive smokers, especially adolescents are affected through the behaviour of others especially where there are no laws protecting non-smokers.
He stated that smoking killed approximately half of long term smokers when compared to age mortality rates faced by non-smokers.
Mallam Miko however called on the Federal Government to put some wholesome laws in place to protect non-smokers, and urged them also to look into the harmful effect of tobacco because one-in-five life birth dies as a resulting of smoking.
Over 100 science students from various schools of health in Kaduna were educated to know dangerous effect of smoking and to also relate the message to their friends.
