Lagos Assembly Bans Smoking In Public Places

The Lagos State House of Assembly has
passed a bill for a law to ban smoking in
public places.
The bill, which was passed on Monday,
has been sent to the executive arm of the
government for the governor’s ascent.
The bill, which scaled through the third
reading, prohibits anybody smoking in all
public places such as libraries, museum,
public toilets, schools, hospital, day care
centres, public transportation and
restaurants among others.
The bill stipulated penalties for violating
the restriction, ranging from N10,000 to
N50,000 fines or imprisonment.
A statement by the Assembly on Monday
said the bill consisted of 16 sections,
which explained the regulation of smoking
in public places.
It read in parts, “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.
“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 stated 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.