House Passes Anti-smoking Bill

From Onwuka Nzeshi in Abuja, 10.22.2008

House of Representatives yesterday passed the anti-smoking bill prohibiting the smoking of tobacco in public places across the country.

By this law, anyone caught smoking cigarettes in public places will now be liable to four months imprisonment, N50, 000 fine or both. The bill was finally adopted after it passed the mandatory second reading on the floor of the House. The adoption followed the presentation of the report of the Joint Committee on Health and Justice on the issue.

Chairman House Committee on Health, Dr. Alaba Ojomo, urged the House to consider the report which provides for the regulation of the production, importation, advertising, promotion, sponsorship, distribution, sale and smoking of cigarettes and other tobacco products.

The new law repeals the existing Act. At the plenary, members considered the report and unanimously resolved that sale of cigarettes to persons under the age of 18 years should be punishable and violators should be liable to two months imprisonment, N50,000 fine or both.

They also approved that manufacturers of cigarettes who failed to in dicate the warning on both sides of the cigarette pack that smoking kills would be liable to fine of N100, 000.

However, efforts by some members to inject a clause prohibiting the sale and consumption of tobacco at the nation’s airports as well as some other places designated as ‘public places’ failed as majority of members kicked against the amendment.

By definition, the locations identified as ‘public places’ include hospitals, government offices, nursery, primary and secondary schools among others.

The House also struck out a section of the bill which prescribed a total ban on advertisements and sponsorship of events by tobacco manufacturing companies.

Also at plenary yesterday, the House received sessional reports from five committees. These include Committee on Ethics and Privileges, Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) , Comm-ittee on petroleum (Upstream, Committee on Air Force as well as the Committee on Inter Parliamentary Relations.Two bills were also presented for the first time on the floor of the House. They are the Erosion and Floods Control Commission Bill 2008 and the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Bill 2008.

The bill for an Act to prohibit arbitrary, malicious , indiscriminate or capricious dismissal, lay offs or removal of any worker from employment by any employer of labour in the public or private sector of the economy was thrown out when it was presented for second reading because of the existence of similar bills already under consideration in the House.