Senate passes anti-Tobacco bill, culprits could get up to 6 months jail term

The Senate yesterday passed the Tobacco Control Bill. According to the deputy senate president Ike Ekweremadu who presided over the plenary session on Tuesday May 12th, the bill will ensure effective regulation and control of production, manufacture, sale, labeling, advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco and tobacco products in Nigeria.

The bill among other things specifies the places cigarette smokers could smoke and areas where smoking is forbidden and also the punishment to be meted out to defaulters when they smoke in non-designated areas. Culprits could get up to six months in jail
The bill states that owners of public places where smoking is not allowed will be penalized if they fail to put up a "no smoking sign" on their properties. The bill was sponsored by Delta state governor elect and Senate Committee on Health Chairman, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa. The bill now awaits the assent of President Jonathan.

Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan has signed the new Administration of Criminal Justice Bill 2015 into law.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, confirmed this to journalists in Abuja on Thursday.
The bill, which was passed by the Senate on May 5, seeks to tackle problem of delays in criminal trials, among other objectives.
The presidential spokesman said the President signed the document on Wednesday, the same day he received the bill from the National Assembly.
He said: “The President has signed the Administration of Criminal Justice Bill 2015. He signed it the same day he received it from the National Assembly. With that development, the bill is now an Act.”