Commission begins advocacy against underage, public smoking
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has begun advocacy meetings in schools and town halls to tackle the menace of underage and public smoking.
The Acting Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC, Dr Adamu Abdullahi, disclosed this when he visited the Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr Dauda Bui, in Abuja on Thursday.
Abdullahi said during the advocacy, efforts would be made to educate Nigerians on the dangers of public and underage smoking with a view to discouraging school children from indulging it such habit.
He added that a help desk would be created for children, teenagers who want assistance on how to quit smoking.
”We have started the advocacy in early part of January, it is tagged, ‘Don’t burn your future’.
”The advertisement has started going out and we have started branding some buses in Lagos and Abuja ‘Don’t burn your future’.
”We plan to hold more advocacy and town-hall meetings in schools and other public places so that we can discuss the dangers of public and under aged smoking.
”All these are concept of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. And the activities will go on in the next 18 months,” he said.
On money lending, he said that people were bound to pay back loans they obtained, but not to the extent of lenders maiming and shaming people who collected money from them.
He noted that there had been a multi-agency approach towards ensuring that money lenders do the right thing.
”Once they are registered they can operate as opposed to the former time when you cannot trace the identities of money lenders.
”But all what we are saying is that they have to operate according to laid down rules,” he said.
Abdullahi appealed to the FRSC to partner the commission to achieve its mandate.
He said passengers are consumers and must be treated fairly and adequately protected.
Responding, Bui called on the FCCPC to work with the FRSC to see how sanctions would be imposed on drivers and vehicle owners when passengers were wrongly treated.
He said the FRSC was working to see how passengers would be compensated in the event of crashes.
”Passengers should be concerned about their safety and comfort.
“We are working to see how state governments can help us in situations whereby vehicle owners, drivers wrongly treat passengers or when there is a crash, so that sanctions could be imposed,” he said.
