Legal Trend: Law barring public smoking now before Jonathan

“If signed into law, the bill will regulate the manufacturing, advertising distribution and consumption of tobacco products in Nigeria.”

The National Tobacco Control Bill has been sent to President Goodluck Jonathan for assent.

The four-year old bill which is expected to introduce firm regulation on smoking and tobacco use, left the National Assembly on Tuesday, a source said.

“We sent the bill yesterday (Tuesday),” said an official of the National Assembly’s legal unit who spoke on anonymity because the official was not authorised to speak on the issue.

Introduced in 2007 as a House of Representatives bill, the legislation received a final approval of the house and the Senate early this year.

With a presidential assent, Nigeria will become the 93rd nation to domesticate the document, which is founded on the World Health Organization (WHO) anti smoking policy.

The legislation has been customised by each documenting nation, but a central policy is that which bans smoking in public places; a tendency proponents of the bill say increases the risk of tobacco-related diseases and deaths.

In Nigeria, the bill, if it receives Jonathan’s assent, will be a comprehensive law to regulate the manufacturing, advertising distribution and consumption of tobacco products in Nigeria.

-By Bennie Iferi