NTCA urges FG to roll out plan to help tobacco farmers transition

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance ( NTCA) has called on the federal government to roll out plans that will help tobacco farmers transition to nutrition and healthy crops.

“ Such as such as maize,

cassava, guinea corn and even livestock”.

The called was made by Chairman of NTCA, Akinbode Oluwafemi at a CSOs press briefing to commemorate 2023 world NO Tobacco Day tagged “we need food, not tobacco” yesterday in Abuja .

He said”Article 17 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

encourages parties to promote economically viable and sustainable alternatives to tobacco

farmers”.

He said in Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is responsible

for championing this objective.

However, it is unclear how much land is used for tobacco

farming in Nigeria.

“This critical data gap makes it difficult to identify and plan interventions

for tobacco farmers, he said.

The federal ministry of agriculture and rural development to make known the extent of tobacco in Nigeria and it’s important for them to plan farmers transition.

He called on inter-agencies ministries saddled with implementation of National Tobacco Control Acts must synergies share important and resources and work cohesively for the implementation of these law.

He also explained that,we need food, not tobacco, brings our attention to the dangers of tobacco farming.

“Tobacco industry paints a picture of economic prosperity among tobacco farmers, but in reality, tobacco farmers are poor.

“In Nigeria, farmers who have invested many years growing tobacco continue to live in poverty.

“During tobacco cultivation, wet tobacco leaves produce nicotine and other toxins that are absorbed into the body.

This causes green tobacco sickness among farmers. Tobacco growers are also known to suffer from respiratory and neurological disorders due to exposure to tobacco leaves.”

Meanwhile, the Programmes Manager, NTCA, Chibuike Nwokorie, made it known that about 40 per cent of Nigerians are food insecure; and tobacco farming should be eradicated, because it is not a profitable venture in Nigeria, rather compounds health challenges among Nigerians.

He enjoined the president Bola Tinubu to live up to his campaign promises on tackling the menace associated with the usage of Tobacco in the polity.

Also speaking, the Sub-regional Coordinator for West Africa Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids, Hilda Ochefu, enjoined CSOs to remain vigilant by calling on the government and tobacco industry, in ensuring they abide by the law.

She added The hectares of land that is being allocated to tobacco farming, should actually be allocated to food growing.”

She also called on president Tinubu to help the farmers through the transition process.

Also, the project specialist, management science for health, Peter Unekun-Ojo, said, “The only gift tobacco farming has for Nigeria is disease, death and poverty.” He also added that tobacco farming is detrimental to the farmers.

Unekun-Ojo also called for appropriate mapping of tobacco lands and farmers in the country and swift transitioning of the farmers to appropriate cropping.