To cut the supply chain of tobacco due to the dangers posed by nicotine-ladened crops on human health, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has urged Nigerian farmers to explore alternative economic crops.
The Commandant of the NSCDC, Enugu State Command, Valentine Afrika, made the call during a sensitisation on “World No Tobacco Day,” with the theme: “Tobacco: Threat to Our Environment,” on Tuesday in Enugu.
Afrika explained that when tobacco farmers embrace alternative crops such as wheat, they would do much good to the entire country, adding that the development would provide quality food to enhance health and provide foreign exchange.
He said, “If tobacco farmers take to wheat farming, it will provide quality food that will enhance our health and foreign exchange as well. People should stop tobacco cultivation but rather go into more healthy and economic crop production.
“They can divert all their energies and money to the production of wheat which is in high demand locally and globally presently. They can still make their wealth through this.”
Speaking, the Commandant noted that tobacco has a huge negative health burden on the individual smoker, as well as those around him or her as secondary smokers and the general environment.
According to him, tobacco smoking remained the leading cause of respiratory illnesses as well as early death of many that engaged in it.
“In terms of crime, some young people start experimenting with smoking tobacco before graduating to smoking higher forms of stimulants that induce them to irrational thinking. This irrational thinking leads some to armed robbery, vandalism and other vices in the society,” Afrika pointed out.
Source: AgroNigeria
