Oyo State Assembly Passes Bill Banning Smoking In Public Places

Duh! You think you can still go to shopping centres, restaurants, etc and smoke away like it’s no man’s business in Oyo State? Lol, well try it now and find yourself in prison or you part away with N50,000 and if you own a company and you don't put a NO SMOKING sign, you will be fined N250,000.

So, Oyo State House of Assembly today passed a bill banning smoking in public places in the state. The “Bill to Regulate Smoking in Public Places and for Connected Purposes’’ also provides three to six months imprisonment or fine of between N15, 000 and N50, 000 for offenders. The bill was sponsored by Mr Segun Ajanaku and Mr Segun Olaleye, representing Ibadan South-West II and Ibadan North II constituencies, respectively.

Supporting the passage of the bill, the Chairman of the assembly’s Committee on Health, Mr Silas Okunola, said that the bill was necessary for regulating smoking in designated places, include shopping centres, restaurants, public toilets and cinemas. Other areas covered by the proposed law are hospitals, creches, schools and public transportation vehicles within the state.


It also stipulates that any person found guilty of smoking in the presence of a child in a manner that exposes smoke to be injurious to the child, would be liable to a month imprisonment with an option of N15, 000 or both. The bill states that any person who repeatedly violates the provision of not smoking in the presence of a child will be liable to one year imprisonment with an option of not less than N100, 000 or both.

It makes it compulsory for any person involved with the management of a public place to put a ‘No-Smoking’ sign in conspicuous areas. It states that refusal to place the sign or symbol by a corporate body, director, manager, company secretary or any person concerned in the management of the corporate body will be liable to N250, 000 fine upon conviction.

Vanguard