By Chinasaokwu Helen Okoro
Lagos State Government has introduced a new advocacy campaign to enforce the ban on smoking in public spaces in the state.
The move was initiated by the Lagos State Safety Commission (LSC), in alliance with the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).Director-General of the LSC, Lanre Mojola, who spoke on the development, at the weekend, said the health risks of indoor smoking include lung cancer and respiratory diseases.
Mojola noted that the objective of the campaign was to create a safe and smoke-free environment for all.
Meanwhile, a non-governmental organisation, Protecting and Activating Communities against Tobacco (PACT), Lagos hub, has called for increased funding to ensure effective enforcement of tobacco control and the No Smoking Law in Lagos State.
PACT, a subsidiary of the Voices for Tobacco Control, made the call during an advocacy march in partnership with the Lagos Youth Parliament and Lagos Kick against Drug Abuse at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.
The Project Lead of PACT, George Adjete, noted that though the Lagos State government had domesticated the National Tobacco Control Act, the level of awareness and enforcement was low.
He commended the Federal Government for increasing investment in the Tobacco Control Fund, which has been raised from N4.7 million to N10 million in the 2024 budget.
Adjete, however, stated that the sum was inadequate to address the pressing needs of the Tobacco Control Fund.
“We note the absence of information regarding specific budgetary allocations for tobacco control at the state level, despite the domestication of the Tobacco Control Act through the No Smoking Law in Lagos,” the PACT project lead said.
He decried the weak enforcement of the existing tobacco control policies, stating that this allowed the infiltration of the tobacco industry through online advertising and promotion of emerging products.
Adjete maintained that without sufficient resources, the enforcement of tobacco control policies remained ineffective, emphasising that increased funding was essential to implementing awareness programmes and fostering collaboration among key agencies, including the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the National Orientation Agency.
Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Toyin Oke-Osanyintolu, who received the advocates, praised the youths for embarking on the awareness campaign.
She noted that the advocacy march was a step towards achieving increased funding.
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