Tobacco kills 30,000 Nigerians annually – WHO

Country Representative, World Health Organisation, Walter Mulombo, says over 30,000 Nigerians die of tobacco-related diseases every year.

He stated this yesterday in Abuja yesterday 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.

 He said the number outweighed that of deaths from COVID-19 which had killed 3,144 in the country so far.

He described tobacco as a slow ticking bomb.

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

He said since June 1, the government had commenced the implementation of a new three-year tobacco tax regime which would end in 2024.