No Smoking Campaign Goes Online

NGO begins No Smoking Campaign Online

THE Tobacco Control Group, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) has launched their official website as a way of controlling the intake of Tobacco through social media.

Project manager for the group, Olamide Egbayelo said the choice of Social media campaign is so as to capture the attention of youths who have taken to one social medium or the other for their daily interactions.

She said Tobacco ctrl will use medium such as the Twitter, Facebook, Games, 2go, and Google Plus amongst others would be used to launch campaigns against the intake of tobacco by youths.

"This campaign has been on in other platforms for a while. Now, the target is the youths and teenagers who can easily be involved in peer pressure. We are trying to catch them young. Most of them are online 7 days a week so, we are trying to use this platform to get them. Most of them read news via internet, hence we are trying to use what they like to get them." Egbayelo stated.

Spokesperson for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), Hilda Ochefu said government should always consider health first before the revenue associated with the Tobacco companies.

According to her, the group is not against the selling of tobacco but should be restricted, "underaged and youths should not be caught buying or smoking Cigarette, we want a higher tax placed on these products so that they would not be affordable to minors, we also don't want them sold in attractive packs at public places.

In his submission, Head media, Environmental Rights Action (ERA), Philip Jakpor said the federal government must sign the Bill that places restrictions on Tobacco smoking in Nigeria before the end of the year.

"On our part, we are getting youths together to sensitize them on the dangers attached to smoking, we are saying that producers of tobacco must not glamorise the packs and sellers must not sell single sticks." Jakpor stated.

According to the NGO, youths are to like their facebook page, follow @tobaccoctrl on twitter, or visit them on www.tobaccoctrl.ng  for full participation.