Millions of Nigerians at risk of cancer due to tobacco smoking

Millions of Nigerians are seen at risk of cancer caused by tobacco smoking as tobacco usage accounts for approximately 22 percent of cancer deaths according to a recent tweet by the world health organisation.

Health challenges linked to tobacco have been described by experts as some of the biggest public health threats confronting the world today, as there are more than one billion smokers, according to WHO statistics.

Of this figure, about 860 million of them live in low- and middle-income countries, like Nigeria.

Despite being a major contributor to non-communicable diseases, which kills more than 38 million people annually, especially in low- and middle-income countries, it has also been identified as a risk factor in diseases such as cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiovascular disease.

“Cigarette is bad for the health as it contains toxin contents such as TAR and nicotine that are cancer genic to health” said Remi Ajekigbe cancer specialist and HOD Radiotherapist and Oncologist LUTH.

Ajekigbe added that tobacco is perhaps one of the most abused substances in the world and aside being smoked in the form of cigarettes, cigars or pipes, it can also be chewed, or even grinded and taken in powdered form as snuff.

The federal ministry of health at a recent event in Abuja said at least 250,000 new cases of cancer are recorded yearly in Nigeria and tobacco is seen to be the leading cause of these cases.

A survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics and some international organisations in 2013 on global adult tobacco use shows that 4.5 million adult Nigerians are tobacco addicts.

The survey also revealed that while the eastern part of the country has high cases of smokeless tobacco usage, the north has high cases of tobacco smokers.

Furthermore, the study also showed that tobacco smoking in Nigeria is said to be relatively low when compared with other parts of the world

Ajekigbe said, in order to address the issue of smoking, there is the need to embark on intense sensitisation on the menace tobacco smoking has on health and this must start from our primary schools.

Also, the federal government on their part should increase the price of cigarette astronomically by increasing the Value Added Taxes(VAT) paid by tobacco companies as this will help reduce the purchasing power of consumers of this product.

Micheal Ani