Smoking kills 29,472 Nigerians annually – FG

A 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, Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has said.

Ehanire, speaking yesterday in Abuja, during the commemoration of the World No Tobacco Day, said the theme for this year’s World No Tobacco Day, ‘Commit to Quit” came at a good time when the global community was 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,” he said.

Quoting the 2018 Tobacco Atlas report, the minister said, “the death toll from tobacco is high in Nigeria,” and disclosing that the country records over 16,100 deaths from tobacco-related diseases every year.

Ehanire said tobacco use or exposure to second-hand smoke is the leading preventable risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension, stroke, cancers, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, 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.

She called on the minster to identify a space within the ministry to set-up a call-center office from which the counsellors will respond to callers’ needs.