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By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
In its determination to save the lives of many Nigerians from tobacco products, Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA) has urged the federal government and its relevant agencies to enforce ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
Speaking on Wednesday in Abuja, at a press briefing on the violation of the ban on Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship
(TAPS), Chibuike Nwokorie, Program Officer, NTCA called on relevant government agencies to ensure compliance.
“We call on the Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON) to caution its
members from flouting tobacco control laws and ensure that they abide by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria including the NTC Act.
“The National Film and Video Sensors Board (NFVCB) must live up to its
responsibility of ensuring that all videos made and consumed in Nigeria strictly
abide by the provisions of the NTC Act as it applies to the regulation of on-screen
smoking and must see to the inclusion of text warnings or outright removal of
needless on-screen smoking depictions.
“The National Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Information
Technology Development Agency (NITDA) must monitor, and sanction violators of the TAPS ban in the digital space.
“We charge all agencies of government tasked with the responsibility of
enforcing the NTC Act and its Regulations to work together and ensure that the ban on direct and indirect tobacco advertising promotion and sponsorship is
comprehensively implemented in Nigeria in line with Article 13 of The WHO
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.”
