Email
Password
(Forgot Password?)
Whilst debating on the new National Drug Control Act 2008 last Thursday, some members of Parliament agitated for the banning of cigarette smoking in public places and also that of alcohol drinking.
The MPs argued that whilst penalties are being placed on drugs – like cocaine, heroine, morphine and marijuana – nicotine and alcohol should be included in the harmful list.
Hon Tamba Khagbenje of SLPP, the first of over twenty parliamentarians who contributed on the bill, posed the question of why cigarette smoking was left out of the bill.
Jump to full article »
On Saturday the world health agency joined local partners among them Youths Against Tobacco Smoking in Sierra Leone to process in observance of the World No Tobacco Day May 31.
National Coordinator Dr. Williams Ohaeri told Concord Times that it was disheartening to know that Sierra Leone remains the only country in the world that has neither signed nor ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) treaty. . . .
"Half measures are not enough," said Dr Douglas Bettcher, Director of WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative added Dr Bettcher. "When one form of advertising is banned, the tobacco industry simply shifts its vast resources to another channel. We urge governments to impose a complete ban to break the tobacco marketing net," he said.
It is disheartening to know that Sierra Leone remains the only country in the world that have neither signed nor ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) treaty. . . .
Tobacco is a poison that has deprived our nation of a healthy workforce, depressed most households especially low-income ones basic necessities such as food, education and health care.
As in the words of Sir Edmund Burke "All that it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing." Tobacco is evil from every perspective, therefore the good people of Sierra Leone must do something to stop this evil called tobacco. Join the campaign against tobacco today.
--Dr. Williams Ohaeri is the national coordinator of Youths Against Tobacco Smoking (YATS) in Sierra Leone.
Actress-singer Jennifer Lopez, former first daughter Chelsea Clinton and broadcaster Walter Cronkite joined forces Tuesday night to honor nine ''unsung heroes of poverty eradication.''
The celebrities were part of a star-studded ceremony at the United Nations honoring the winners of The Global Microentrepreneurship Awards. The nine poor and low-income winners -- from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Liberia, South Africa, India, China, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Peru -- used small loans to establish successful businesses. . . .
. . .
Perhaps the loudest applause was given to Mama Fatu, a 70-year-old widow from Sierra Leone who took out a $25 microcredit loan in 1998 to start grinding tobacco to produce snuff. She diversified into vegetable production, rice farming and brewing local gin.
The only psychiatrist in the country, Dr. Edward Nahim who is the head of the Kissy Mental Home has disclosed that both men and women smokers face similar risks of developing one or more of some twenty-four smoking related diseases.
He said most of those diseases are incurable and fatal including various forms of cancer as well as lung and circulatory diseases.
Dr. Nahim added that there are also health problems related to tobacco use, which are of special concern to women who smoke and take contraceptives.
The Freetown High Court No. 3, presided over by Honourable Justice Edmund K. Cowan on April, 26th, 2001, ruled in the matter between Jagiko enterprises, owned by a Fullah businessman, Lamrana Sow, and Kamtoko Africa trade Links, with Mustapha T. Koroma as proprietor.
After what seemed to be a long drawn legal battle in the High Court, the Presiding Judge, Justice A. B. Rashid, who deputised for Honourable E. K. Cowan, who is now Speaker of Parliament, ruled in favour of Jagiko Enterprises of 6, Lumley Street in Freetown.
The Court stipulated that Jagiko Enterprises with Mohamed Sow as proprietor, was the only recognised importer and sole distributor of Boss cigarette in the country.
Kamtoko Africa trade Links was ordered to pay costs to Jagiko for all expenses incurred during the long legal battle.
Kamtoko was also ordered to stop using the Boss Trade Mark as "Jagiko is the authorised agent and distributor of the product in Sierra Leone".
diverse sources have intimated that Jagiko boss Guinea born tycoon Mohamed Pater Jalloh is putting finishing torches to plan to storm Freetown with a high power delegation. This delegation, according to our information will comprises prominent Guinean businessmen and Jagiko's banker from Monrovia.
If all is to go as planned the tycoon Mr. Mohamed Pater Jalloh intends to make contact and concrete arrangements with the Guinean government so that their government will initiate contract with the government of President Kabbah before their arrival here in Freetown. . .
In another but related development, unconfirmed report state that a forwarding and clearing house at Fourah Bay Road, Sayaba clearing have just cleared a container of cigarette for Jagiko enterprise. It is also rumored that custom officials connived with Jagiko enterprises in this latest deal.
On December 19, 2000 Hefei Cigarette Factory held a ceremony for making the first shipment of cigarette exports to Sierra Leone in western Africa. The factory thus became the first in the tobacco sector of Anhui Province in east China to enter the world market.