Tobacco.org

• Nigerians consume 93m sticks of cigarette yearly—Modibbo 

Over 93 million sticks of cigarette are consumed yearly by Nigerians.

This is coming on the heels of the report of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which revealed that over 8 million people died yearly from tobacco-related diseases world-wide.

Former Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo, who disclosed this in Abuja while receiving an award as the WHO’s Man of the year 2009 on tobacco control, said he was shocked to the bone marrow, when the British American Tobacco, (BAT) informed him that it produces 93 million cigarettes, which Nigerians consumed yearly.

"I was so happy when I visited BAT on invitation in Ibadan, where there told me that they produce 93 million sticks of cigarette yearly, but when I asked them which country they export them to, they said it is all consumed here in Nigeria," he said.

Modibbo, who said he was delighted for the award, explained that he got into the fight against cigarette smoking by chance, revealing that when he was the Minister of FCT, he introduced the initiative because he understands the danger inherent in tobacco smoking.

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