Gombe: CISLAC Highlights Dangers of Tobacco on Public Health, Calls for Action

By Abdullahi Alhassan.

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), has advocated a gender-inclusive approach to tobacco control in Gombe State.

Senior Programme Officer at CISLAC, Solomon Adoga, made the advocacy during a training workshop on tobacco taxation and gender mainstreaming organised by the centre with support from Tax Justice Network Africa.

He noted that tobacco affects women more than men, citing its link to breast cancer, cervical cancer, and other health problems. Adoga emphasised the importance of making tobacco control policies gender-inclusive to protect women.

The senior programme officer also highlighted the dangers of tobacco on public health, including increasing risks of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and mental illness.

Commenting on the matter, a participant, Barrister Martha Daniel, who is the Executive Director of Advocacy for Children’s Right Initiative, noted that tobacco has grave effects on children, “who are now indulging in smoking”.

She advocated for increased tobacco taxes as a way to control tobacco use among children.

Another participant, Yargata Yusuf, a woman activist, emphasised the need to sensitise girls on the dangers of tobacco use, particularly in higher institutions where she pointed out that smoking is seen as a social activity.

She suggested undercover approaches to reach girls who hide to smoke, noting that they often perceive it as a way to fit in.

Earlier, the Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, represented by an official of the centre, Murtala Muhammad, stated that the workshop underscored the importance of addressing the gender dimensions of tobacco use and control.

He called on policymakers to take a more inclusive approach to tobacco control policies. According to him, the workshop brought together civil society actors and stakeholders to discuss the impact of tobacco on the public with gender inclusive approach.