Groups warn Nigerians on dangers of smoking

• As expert harps on good nutrition for healthy living
Tobacco Free Nigeria in partnership with Health Promotion Education and Community Development Initiative (HPECDI), a non-governmental organisation, has harped on the need for Nigerians to shun smoking particularly in public places.

The group gave the charge during a one-day sensitiation tour at the weekend in Benin, which is geared towards a smoke free Nigeria.

The coordinator of the NGO, Mrs. Charity Ainobe -Asekharen noted that smoking is not only dangerous to those involved in the act, but also to persons within the range of the smoker.

She said: “One of the major thing we intend to achieve with this sensitization tour is to create awareness on the dangers inherent in smoking.

“We decided to start from Ugbiyokho Community because this is the place where HPECDI is domiciled. We have been working for the past one-year and our focus mainly has been in schools so as to catch them young.

“We believe that if we are able to inculcate in the young minds the right moral values by educating them on the dangers associated with smoking, we would have been able to mould their characters into becoming a more decent and responsible adults.

She added that the organisation’s partnership with the Tobacco Free Nigeria Campaign would help broaden its scope to capture other persons, both young and old.

Meanwhile, a university don, Prof. Lilian Salami has called on Nigerians to maintain good nutritional culture for healthy status and prevention of diseases.

The professor of Home Economics and Nutrition Education also raised the alarm of imminent food insecurity in the country stressing that, “ food accessibility continues to be a challenge and nutrition a major contributor to health prospects and choices.”

She disclosed this while delivering the 206th inaugural lecture of the University of Benin, Edo State with the topic: “If The Scientists Don’t know, How Can I? Is it a case of too much Information?”

Salami explained that food security and healthy living is the ability of every citizen to have regular access to enough food to meet his or her nutritional requirements for a healthy, active and reproductive life.

“Our forefathers roamed and ate unprocessed foods. Today, we are more sedentary and depend more on technologically processed food,” Salami said.

Salami expressed fear that there were many forces threatening food production and distribution in the country, with several nutrition controversies, which she however explained have been adequately discussed in the academic work.

However, the Vice Chancellor, of the university, Prof Osasere Orumwense, commended the lecturer , who is the current Director-General/ Chief Executive of the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA, Nigeria), for her in-depth knowledge on the topic.