Tobacco is generally believed to have been introduced from the
Caribbean and Brazil by Portuguese voyagers. Rodrigo
Jerex is believed
as have been the first European to smoke. History also has it that;
smoking practice originated from American Indians in the form of pipe
smoking, which was copied and introduced into Europe and the rest of
the world by early explorers. Jean Nicot, the French ambassador to
Portugal was immortalized in “1560” in ... the botanical name of
tobacco-Nicotiana Tabacum, and in the designation of the toxic
substance in the Plant-Nicotine. “The Federal Ministry of health warns
that smoking is dangerous to health” is an outdated slogan. But, when
the said ministry observer that, the statement was not longer winning
majority-they changed it to “smokers are liable to die young! Worst
still, no positive impact is made to mitigate and control this
habitual act.
Why do people smoke? Is there ant nutritional value one
derives from smoking? Is it actually dangerous to health? These
questions should be asked before you take the next cigarette!
Westerners who passed the culture to us smoke because of their weather
conditions to keep themselves warm in the winter. But, typical African
man would be burning his mind and soul all year long. In our
institutions of higher learning, students indulge in smoking as a mark
of manhood, sheer showmanship and status symbol. While many smoke
because friends do so, few inherited this habit from their parents who
were chain smokers.
Cigarettes, tobacco, cigars when burnt release a
volatile oily substance called nicotine, which can cause lung cancer
or caner of the lip, respiratory disease like cough, chronic
bronchitis. Smoking can result into heart failure and stomach ulcers.
For smokers, Late Dr. Felix C. Adi has this to say-
“the use of filters, reducing the number of cigarettes which you
smoke, or dodging inhalation of the smoke, the merely signs of lack of
will power to take the one and only decision which will save you that
is to stop smoking”