The move by the federal government to launch a campaign against access to tobacco by young and underage people is a step in the right direction. Unrestricted access to tobacco among teenagers in the country has led to upsurge in some diseases. More worrisome is the abuse of new tobacco substances, such as shisha, smokeless tobacco, nicotine patches, or electronic cigarettes. If left unchecked, the trend would negatively impact the future of the country and its economic workforce.
Medical experts say that tobacco smoking is a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases, including a variety of cancers, lung disease, and damage to the cardiovascular system. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), six million smoking-attributable deaths per year worldwide will rise to about eight million per year by the end of 2030.
Habitual smoking in young people and adults has been associated with many health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, pulmonary dysfunction and an increased risk of a variety of cancers. Although some studies have found that acute smoking can enhance cognitive functions in the short-term, chronic smoking is damaging in the long-term to neurocognitive function. It has been associated with reductions in working memory, executive function and prospective memory, that is, memory for everyday things, such as keeping an appointment, or taking an important medication on time.
The effects of smoking are not just limited to the smokers themselves but also non-smokers who inhale the smoke emanating from tobacco smokers. Thus, smoking-related health problems and neurocognitive deficits have also affected “second-hand” or “passive smokers” who inhale tobacco smoke through side-stream smoke or via smoke being blown directly into their faces. Research has linked exposure to second-hand smoke in those who have never smoked to a range of health problems similar to smokers, including lung and cardiovascular disease, as well as deficits in neurocognitive function.
The Acting Executive Vice Chairman of Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) Dr. Adamu Ahmed Abdullahi, said at the launch of the campaign in Lagos: “We are set to embark on a journey of paramount importance —the inauguration of the ‘Don’t Burn Their Future’ campaign. This is a remarkable and resolute effort by the FCCPC to tackle the escalating issue of young and underage access to tobacco products and its detrimental impact on our society. It is a campaign to guarantee the health of our youths and secure the future.”
He affirmed that we “cannot turn a blind eye to the far-reaching consequences of this trend. It affects national social development, increases pressure on the health systems, reduces national productivity and negatively impacts overall national economic growth. The potential of our youth, the driving force of our nation’s progress, is being stunted by this preventable scourge. Early initiation into smoking increases the likelihood of developing a severe addiction to nicotine compared to those who start later in life.”
It has also been estimated that the burden of tobacco on Nigeria’s healthcare system is about N634 billion. This means that Nigeria spends three times higher in the management of health issues related to every dollar investment in the tobacco business. The minister says that tobacco has also affected Nigeria’s national sustainable development and the environment from its cultivation, manufacturing and disposal, while contributing to deforestation, loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, water pollution and so forth.
The campaign to curb tobacco consumption among the youths and under-aged should be given the right support in order to safeguard the future well-being of the country and its workforce. However, we are aware that many anti-smoking campaigns have been launched in the country, but none has been effective in deterring young and vulnerable people from smoking.
While some youngsters smoke because of peer pressure, others smoke to get high. Many cases of juvenile delinquency and atrocities in the country have been attributed to tobacco and drug abuse. We enjoin the government to curb tobacco use among the youths.
As one of the public health threats confronting Nigeria and the world today, we call on the targeted group to quit smoking. The proposed second round of the global adult tobacco survey scheduled in the first quarter of 2024 to gather household data for a national estimate of the country’s tobacco consumption patterns should be conducted with precision to give a better idea of the enormity of the challenge. All stakeholders must work in concert to ensure a tobacco-free Nigeria.