Daily Independent Online.
*
Thursday, June 17, 2004.
‘More Nigerians
will become sick from tobacco’
By Onche Odeh
Science
Reporter,
Lagos
Nigeria would
witness a major increase in the incidence of diseases and cancer of the lungs,
bronchitis and other conditions related to smoking and consumption of tobacco
products in Nigeria, a medical expert, Dr. Kingsley Akinroye, has warned.
Akinroye,
vice-president, Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF), who stated this on Tuesday in
Lagos, noted that these conditions are bound to become a common place in the
nearest future because of the growing market for tobacco products in the
country.
According to
Akinroye, such tobacco investments like the one put in place by an American/
British firm in Nigeria portends great health risk to the citizens, predicting
that the catastrophic outcome would come to fruition in two decades to come.
His assertion, he
said, was based on the fact that the period it takes tobacco related diseases
to manifest was relatively about 20 years. He maintained that dangers of
allowing tobacco investments creep into the country far outweighs the economic
gains.
“Although one could say that
tobacco investments in the country could contribute to theeconomic well-being
of the country, the health implication of such investments leaves a lot to be
desired,” he stated.
