Nigeria advised to ban shisha like other country

Other African countries have started to ban shisha but Nigeria has not yet looked into it.

Other African countries have started to ban shisha but Nigeria has not yet looked into it.  (PepiNews)

The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has advised the Nigerian government to ban the importation and smoking of water-pipe tobacco also known as shisha like other African countries.

The ERA/FoEN urged the federal government as they stated that shisha is addictive and has a deadly effect on the health of users. This is in line with research that shows there are dangerous pollution levels in shisha bars that are higher than smog-hit cities like Beijing in China, and that smoking shisha at home pollutes the indoor air more than cigarettes.

The organization was motivated following the ban on the product announced by a number of countries across Africa, with Kenya being the latest after Tanzania and Rwanda.

Tanzania banned the product on the product in July 2016, while Rwanda started enforcing a ban with effect from December 15, 2017. Other countries across the globe that have equally banned shisha and shisha bars are Pakistan, Jordan, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia.

In a statement issued in Lagos, ERA/FoEN said that the reported ban on shisha across the globe and particularly in Kenya and other African countries is a welcome development, noting that Nigeria should not wait for shisha bars to become recruitment centers for the under-aged before adopting a similar approach.

Akinbode Oluwafemi who is the ERA/FoEN Deputy Executive Director said, "We commend our sister African countries that have taken this bold and life-saving step in banning this toxic product. The Nigerian government must act in like manner to save Nigerian youths who believe that shisha is less harmful and hype."

Oluwafemi explained that studies show that shisha patrons who smoke just one single session of shisha are in reality consuming the content of about 100 or more cigarette. Also that users stand an increased risk of heart diseases, cancer, lung disease and many other deadly ailments.

He explained that the side effects of smoking shisha may not be immediately noticeable just like cigarettes, but with time, the toxic vapors slowly damage vital organs of the body of the smoker.

"The tobacco industry will stop at nothing in their quest for more lungs to consume their products. The federal government must act proactively by banning shisha and closing the shisha bars if we do not want our kids to become prime targets to be recruited into smoking. There should be no more delay on this," Oluwafemi insisted.

Going further, he stated that cities across the country have thriving shisha bars which are patronized by the elite, celebrities and supposed role models who not only smoke the product but also circulate pictures and videos of their shisha smoking on social media.