The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative (WR), Dr Walter Mulombo Kazadi,has said Nigeria was selected as one of the 22 countries for support by WHO (HQ/AFRO) to scale-up programmes to help people quit tobacco, especially at the primary health care and community levels.
He spoke at a press conference 2021 World “No Tobacco” Day on Monday, in Abuja, which was also attended by the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire
He added that, “This will include the setting up of a toll-free quit line and the pilot of a WHO supported mobile cessation (mCessation) programme for a period of 9 – 12 months through the use of pre-designed WhatsAPP toolkit and Facebook Messenger in different languages. At this juncture, Honourable Minister, we kindly request for your team to identify a space within the Ministry to set-up a call center office from which the counsellors will respond to caller needs.
He noted that for the last 3 years, Nigeria has received a World No Tobacco Day Award which recognizes individuals or organizations for their accomplishments in the area of tobacco control.
He disclosed that in 2021,there is only one awardee from Nigeria amongst the six awardees from the African Region.
“As WHO we pledge to continue supporting the country to meet their obligations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Just to also note that there’s a need for all of us to be alert to industry tactics as they attract new users and keep people using tobacco, even when they are trying to quit. Products such as electronic cigarettes and nicotine pouches are highly addictive and not recommended as strategies to reduce tobacco use.
“In conclusion, together, let’s support people with the tools and resources needed to successfully quit and to reduce the demand for tobacco. This will save live, save money and create healthier societies” ,he said.
Speaking,Minister for Health,Dr Osagie Ehanire,said that the death toll from tobacco is high in Nigeria, as the Tobacco Atlas of 2018 reports estimates of more than 16,100 deaths from tobacco-related diseases every year.
He added that another research finding published in 2021 by the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa showed that 29,472 deaths in Nigeria were attributable to smoking.
He said: “In tacking the tobacco menace, Nigeria signed and ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2004 and 2005 respectively. In furtherance of the WHO FCTC, Nigeria enacted the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 and the National Tobacco Control Regulations 2019.
“The theme for the 2021 “World No Tobacco Day”: “Commit to Quit” comes at a good time, when the global community is battling the COVID-19 pandemic. This is especially so, as evidence has shown that tobacco users and those with underlying non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are at higher risk of severe Covid-19 outcomes. Assisting people to quit tobacco use will therefore improve COVID-19 treatment outcomes.
“The offer of support to quit tobacco use is one of the best-buys in tobacco control measures, collectively called the MPOWER where: M = Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies; P = Protect people from exposure to tobacco smoke; O = Offer help to quit tobacco use by tobacco cessation services; W = Warn people about the dangers of tobacco use; E = Enforce full ban on advertising, promotion & sponsorship; and R = Raise excise taxes on tobacco products”.
