Sam Olukoya
LAGOS, Jan 23 (IPS) - Cigarette packs sold in Nigeria carry a health warning: ‘‘The Federal Ministry of Health warns that cigarette smokers are liable to die young.’’
But, says the government, this warning has not stopped many Nigerian youngsters from smoking.Taju Olaide, 17, told IPS that he unaware of the warning because he is uneducated and therefore cannot read what is printed on the cigarette packs he buys.
‘‘I don’t care about what they write on the cigarette packs because I cannot read. What is important to me, is the cigarette inside the pack.’’ Another youngster, Uche Okeke, told IPS that even though he has read the warning, he is not bothered by it. ‘‘I don’t believe smoking cigarettes makes me liable to die young. Many old people who smoke are alive and well.’’
The youth presents a huge market in this West African country with its 135 million inhabitants. Just more than 40 percent of the Nigerian population is below 14 years of age.
Full story:
http://www.africanewssearch.com/olink.php?ARG1=http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=40885&ARG2=275734
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