In a welcome address, executive director of CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani) said the rise in e-cigarette use, particularly among young people, has emerged as a significant global health issue. Noting that “with the tobacco industry marketing these products aggressively across platforms that are easily accessible to young people, the fear of a new wave of smokers beacons on Nigeria and the African region where the population is largely youthful.”
By Raphael Ekpang
Keffi (Core Reporters) Government agencies represented at the validation workshop organised by Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) on Wednesday validated a Study Report on Understanding the Socioeconomic Drivers of E-Cigarette use among youth and young adults in Nigeria.
The workshop held at the Al-Vari Hotel, Keffi Nasarawa State have in attendance representatives from the Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Ministry of Justice, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), civil society organizations among others
In a welcome address the executive director of CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani) said the rise in e-cigarette use, particularly among young people, has emerged as a significant global health issue. Noting that “with the tobacco industry marketing these products aggressively across platforms that are easily accessible to young people, the fear of a new wave of smokers beacons on Nigeria and the African region where the population is largely youthful.”
He noted that while the health consequences of tobacco use and addiction remain deadly, the socio-economic effects on the population are also high as the cost of attending to the associated diseases drive poverty and malnutrition.
He pointed out to the participants the objective of the study which he said was to explore the factors influencing e-cigarette use among young people in Nigeria, focusing on both socio-economic and psychological drivers.
According to Rafsanjani, “ More specifically, the study aims to determine the prevalence of e-cigarette use, identify the key socioeconomic factors influencing it, and explore the psychological motivations behind it.”
However, the participants who thoroughly brainstormed over the report among other things recommended high taxation on the product, urging the government to adopt sensitization programs that will stem from the primary schools level down to the tertiary institutions in the country.
Core Reporters understand participants are eager to see the urgent implementation of the report as soon as it is made available to the government. This is because they believe the only way out to cut off the popularity of the e-cigarette with its attendance consequences is to act on the CISLAC report.
