Lagos Bans Public Smoking; Violators to be Imprisoned, Fined

The Lagos State House of Assembly has passed a bill for a law, which would in effect, ban smoking in public places in the state with penalties for violating the law pegged between N10, 000 and N50, 000 fines or imprisonment. Scaling through the third reading, the Bill prohibits residents from smoking in all public places such as libraries, museum, public toilets, schools, hospitals, day care centres, public transportation and restaurants among others. In a statement by the Assembly on Monday, the Bill consisted of 16 sections, which explained the regulation of smoking in public places. “In section 12, posting of signs with ‘No Smoking’ symbol, depicts a pictorial representation of a burning cigarette enclosed in a circle with a bar across. It shall be prominently posted and properly maintained where smoking is regulated by the law, by the owner, occupier or person in charge of a ‘No – Smoking Area.’ “Section 4: Duty of owner/occupier, says that it shall be the duty of those who own or occupies public places to ensure that approved ‘No – Smoking’ signs are displayed conspicuously at each entrance and in prominent locations throughout the premises. “Penalties for smoking in a ‘No-Smoking area’ will be a N10,000 fine or imprisonment for a term not less than one month and not exceeding three months or both. The Bill, according to the statement made available, also highlighted that “Any person who repeatedly violates the provisions shall on conviction be liable to a fine of N50, 000 or six month imprisonment or both.” The Bill also stated that the penalty for non-compliance by owner/occupier of a ‘No – smoking area’ would be N100, 000 or six month imprisonment, or other non-custodial punishment that the judge might deem fit. “It shall be an offence to obstruct a duly authorised officer from carrying out his duties under the provision of this law,” the statement said. It added that the law further specified that any person who smoked in the presence of a child had committed an offence and would be liable, on conviction, to a fine of N15, 000 or imprisonment for a month or both. The bill, which was passed Monday, has been sent to the executive arm of the government for the governor’s assent.