[Intl-tobacco] Nigeria-BAT deal; cancer society protests

[Robert Weissman]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Tobacco News: Cancer Society Protests BAT, High Commission Pact
On Tobacco
Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2001 03:13:22 -0500 (EST)
From: geneb@tobacco.org
To: rob@essential.org

Cancer Society Protests BAT, High Commission Pact On Tobacco

by George Onah / Vanguard (Lagos)
;
Source: All-Africa.com, 2001-11-21

Calabar

THE Nigerian Cancer Society (NSC), has protested the recent signing
of a Memorandum of Understanding by the Nigerian High Commission in
London with the British -American Tobacco, BAT, over the
establishment of tobacco company in Nigeria.

According to the president of the society, Dr. Ima-Obong Ekanem who
conveyed the disagreement of the group in a press statement made
available to Vanguard, "Nigeria seems to be trading with the health
of its citizens", stating that, the action promotes the spread of
cancer.

Ekanem recalled the agreement between Nigeria and BAT in which, that
company plans to invest 150 US dollars N16.5 billion in Nigeria to
enhance job creation and rural development, when it sets up the
tobacco company.

But the society's president who lectures at the College of Medical
Sciences, University of Calabar, argued that, the carrot offered by
BAT "is a trick", pointing out that, it was a subtle way of further
aggravating the already "serious health problems we Nigerians
face."

"Remember, we are still battling the childhood killer diseases and
now HIV/AIDS has joined the team of infectious diseases, with
malnutrition, diarrhoea and other preventable ailments. Need we be
exposed to the over 4,500 toxic chemicals in the cigarette smoke?
she said.

She was of the view that, tobacco "is the single most important
cause of preventable deaths worldwide and the World Health
Organisation, WHO, is calling on all countries of the world to see
tobacco control as a public health concern."

Ekanem said the provision of 1000 jobs or extra employment for
15,000 rural farmers promised by BAT could not be compared to the
millions of Nigerians whose health was being endangered by the toxic
chemicals of cigarette.

"Quite an irony, I dare say government's action seems somewhat
contradictory having held a public enlightenment workshop for its
National Assembly members who are in the process of enacting the
long awaited Tobacco Control Bill", she said.

Giving statistics of the deaths that are traceable to cigarette
related diseases she said tobacco alone kills six million people
every year and the majority of victims are from the less developed
countries including Nigeria, adding that, "we need to address this
ugly situation so that it does not lead to calamity "or the
extinguishing of our race."

"Our dear legislators owe us and posterity a duty to safeguard our
lives, by stopping this avoidable tobacco-related mass morbidity and
mortality by urgent passage of the bill. We deserve to live and
enjoy a clean God-given environment and not be sentenced to
premature death by BAT", she added.