The Osun State House of Assembly has directed security operatives in the state to arrest and prosecute anyone caught smoking in public places in compliance with the state law against smoking.
The Speaker of the House, Timothy Owoeye, gave the directive during a sitting in the House in Osogbo on Thursday.
The order came on the heels of the advocacy by Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance Nigeria as part of the activities marking the 2019 Global Week for Action on Non-Communicable Diseases with the theme: “Ensuring Healthy Lives for all: NCDs and Universal Health Coverage”.
A public-health physician, Dr. Adeniyi Oginni, who is the Lead Person of NCD Alliance Nigeria in his presentation during the House sitting, told the lawmakers that 39.5 million people die from Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) every year and that the death due to NCDs constitutes 65 percent of global deaths.
He identified smoking of tobacco, harmful alcohol intake, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet as major NCDs risk factors.
Oginni, who is the Executive Secretary of Osun Health Insurance Agency said 14 of the 36million (38.9 percent) people die in their prime as a result NCDs. He added that NCDs are the number one cause of deaths and disabilities worldwide.
He also stated that cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, cancer, diabetes mellitus, chronic respiratory diseases sickle cell disease, mental disorders are major NCDs in Nigeria and maintained that all hands must be on deck to arrest and overcome the scourge of NCDs.
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