By Abdullahi Alhassan
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has called for urgent, gender-inclusive policies to tackle the growing health risks posed by tobacco use in Gombe State.
Speaking during a capacity-building workshop on tobacco taxation and gender mainstreaming, CISLAC Senior Programme Officer Solomon Adoga highlighted the disproportionate impact of tobacco on women.
He cited its links to breast and cervical cancers, along with other serious health conditions, urging the integration of gender perspectives into tobacco control efforts.
Adoga also warned of tobacco’s broader public health implications, including its contribution to the rise in non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular ailments, diabetes, chronic respiratory conditions, and mental health disorders.
Adding her voice, Barrister Martha Daniel, Executive Director of Advocacy for Children’s Rights Initiative, expressed concern over the growing number of children engaging in smoking. She advocated for higher tobacco taxes as a deterrent, particularly for underage users.
Similarly, women’s rights activist Yargata Yusuf called for targeted sensitisation campaigns, especially in tertiary institutions where tobacco use is increasingly perceived as a trend among young women.
She recommended discreet engagement strategies to reach girls who smoke in secret, often to conform to peer pressure.
In his remarks, CISLAC Executive Director Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, represented by the Centre’s official Murtala Muhammad, stressed the need for inclusive policymaking that addresses the gendered dimensions of tobacco use.
He noted that the workshop aimed to bring together civil society and stakeholders to design effective, equitable strategies for curbing tobacco’s harmful impact on the public.
