烟草在线据《每日时报》报道编译　　烟草控制联盟组织——尼日利亚控烟联盟称，英美烟草尼日利亚投资400万英镑在拉各斯设总部的提议是不可接受的。

　　英美烟草尼日利亚的董事总经理基斯·格雷顿在拜访拉各斯州州长巴巴图德·法斯霍拉（Babatunde Fashola）先生时表示，该公司每年向联邦政府缴纳150亿奈拉的税收。

　　他补充说，该公司耗资400万英镑在拉各斯设总部，是其对尼日利亚所做的长期承诺的证明。

　　但是，尼日利亚控烟联盟主席Nurudeen Ogbara，在周四（9.19）的一份声明中，要求法斯霍拉和拉各斯州议院拒绝烟草业的新投资。

　　他还反驳了格雷顿所说的英美烟草尼日利亚每年向联邦政府缴纳150亿奈拉的说法，称尼日利亚为受到吸烟影响的人们支付更多的医疗费。

　　他说：“英美烟草尼日利亚讨论如何增加在尼日利亚的额外投资，尽管事实上，其在伊巴丹的1.5亿美元的卷烟生产工厂，带给尼日利亚的只有死亡和贫穷，因此这是不可接受的。我们完全拒绝它，即在拉各斯为烟草业建立另一个总部。”

　　“烟草业宣称它支付税收，这是绝对的谎言。没有公司支付税收，它只代表政府收集税收，如果尼日利亚人不买烟草的话，他们仍将通过其他途径支付税收。”

　　他认为，拉各斯的与尼日利亚烟草使用所相关的死亡率和患病率很高。

　　他说，在2006年拉各斯的11家综合医院的一项研究表明，每天有2人死于烟草相关疾病。

　　他说：“我们呼吁政府履行其职责，通过保护烟草法案不受行业干扰，保证居民最佳健康状态。《烟草控制框架公约》的第5.3条禁止这种干扰。我们呼吁政府把人民的健康放在跨国公司的利润之前。”

　　“拉各斯一直在接收终端烟草业活动所导致的拉各斯人的大规模死亡，在2006年，每治疗9000个病人，政府就花费21.6万奈拉。州长法斯霍拉必须拒绝这起新投资。”

Nigeria: NTCA Rejects ￡4m Tobacco Investment

　　A coalition of tobacco control groups in Nigeria, Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance has described as unacceptable the proposal by the British American Tobacco Nigeria to build A ￡4m headquarters in Lagos.

　　Managing Director of BATN, Keith Gretton during a visitation to the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, said the company remitted about N15bn in taxes annually to the Federal Government.

　　He added that the company was constructing its ￡4m headquarters in Lagos as a demonstration of its long term commitment to Nigeria.

　　But, Chairman of NTCA, Nurudeen Ogbara, in a statement on Thursday, asked Fashola and the Lagos State House of Assembly to reject the new investment of the tobacco industry.

　　He also faulted the claim by Gretton that BATN remitted N15billion tax to the Nigerian government, saying Nigeria pays more in healthcare costs for people affected with tobacco smoking.

　　He said: "It is unacceptable that British American Tobacco Nigeria should be discussing how to make additional investments in Nigeria despite the fact that its $150million cigarette manufacturing factory in Ibadan has brought nothing but death and poverty to Nigeria. We reject in its entirety, the proposal to build another headquarters for the tobacco industry in Lagos.

　　"It is absolute falsehood for the tobacco industry to claim that it pays taxes. No corporation pays taxes, it only collects the taxes on behalf of the government and if Nigerians don't buy tobacco they will still pay the taxes through other means."

　　He argued that Lagos has recorded high deaths and sicknesses associated with the tobacco use in Nigeria.

　　According to him, a study in 11 General Hospitals in Lagos in 2006 revealed that two persons die every day from a tobacco related disease.

　　He said: "We call on the government to fulfil its mandate of ensuring the best quality of health for the residents by protecting the tobacco bill from industry interference. Article 5.3 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control forbids this interference. We call on the government to put the health of the people before the profits of multinational corporations.

　　"Lagos has been at the receiving end of tobacco industry activities resulting in massive deaths of Lagosians and the government spent N216, 000 to treat each of the 9,000 cases recorded in 2006. Governor Fashola must reject this new investment." Enditem