About 30,000 Nigerians die of tobacco-related diseases annually – WHO

Walter Mulombo, Country Representative, World Health Organisation (WHO), has disclosed that about 30,000 Nigerians die annually of tobacco-related diseases.

Speaking in Abuja, Tuesday, during the launch of the Nigeria Tobacco Control Data Initiative Dashboard by Development Gateway, an IREX venture, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, as part of activities to mark this year’s World No Tobacco Day in the country, he said the number is more than those killed by COVID-19, which stood at 3,144 in the country so far.

The Country Representative described tobacco as a slow and silence ticking bomb to those taking it, explaining that, “over 30,000 Nigerians die of tobacco-related diseases every year.”

Adeleke Mamora, the Minister of State for Health, enjoined Nigerians to avoid tobacco and exposure to second-hand smoke.

He explained that the government had commenced the implementation of a new three-year tobacco tax regime which would end in 2024.

The annual World No Tobacco Day campaign (31 May) is an opportunity to raise awareness on the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use.

This yearly celebration informs the public on the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies, what WHO is doing to fight the tobacco epidemic, and what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations.

The Member States of the World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes. In 1987, the World Health Assembly passed Resolution WHA40.38, calling for 7 April 1988 to be a “a world no-smoking day.” In 1988, Resolution WHA42.19 was passed, calling for the celebration of World No Tobacco Day, every year on 31 May.