The tobacco epidemic is the world’s biggest public health threat ever faced according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Each year, tobacco kills over seven million people and without urgent action the death toll from tobacco will rise above eight million by 2030. Regrettably, tobacco kills nearly half of its users while 890,000 non-smokers die yearly from exposure to second hand smoke.
Approximately 80 per cent of the world’s one billion smokers live in low and middle income countries (LMIC) Nigeria inclusive. Sadly, tobacco products consumption is rising globally especially in LMIC, but decreasing in some high and upper middle income countries (HUMIC).
The 2012 WHO Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) carried out in Nigeria, shows that 4.2 million men and 0.5million women currently use tobacco while 3.1 million adult Nigerians (7.2 per cent men and 0.3 per cent women) smoke…
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