A non-governmental organization, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has charged Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Gombe State to work assiduously towards reducing drastically the smoking of cigarettes in the state.
CISLAC gave the charge during a meeting with stakeholders from the CSOs in the state on tobacco control in Gombe, the Gombe State capital.
The representative of CISLAC at the meeting, Mr Solomon Adoga, said the NGO had met with the state Ministry of Justice and that of health in recent time with a view to advocating government’s policies to control tobacco use via tax increment on tobacco industries and products.
Adoga said the measure is part of steps being taken to make the commodity scarce, thereby mitigating its usage and effects on the environment.
According to him, the activity was under the Tobacco Tax Advocacy in Nigeria project being implemented by CISLAC with support from Tax Justice Network Africa.
He asserted that tobacco use poses threats to public health, adding that smoking can damage every part of the body and can cause different types of cancer including that of the head, neck, lung, kidney, pancreas, bladder and others.
Solomon added that smokers are also liable to develop chronic diseases like stroke, blindness, gum infection, heart disease, pneumonia, hardening of the arteries, asthma and reduced fertility, among other health problems.
He therefore urged the CSOs engaged by CISLAC to continue with the advocacy to make the state government to do the needful.
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