Timi Dakolo, Mr Eazi to lead anti-tobacco campaign

Also named ambassador is Saadatu Aliyu, a member of Abuja’s Global Shapers Hub from the World Economic Forum.

The appointment of the three ambassadors follows a cascade of events starting in 2015, when then president Goodluck Jonathan signed the National Tobacco Control Act, and, more recently, the announcement of zero tolerance to tobacco in the country, as declared by the Minister of Health Isaac Adewole.

On social media, the Proudly Nigerian Campaign made the announcement, tweeting that “the Nigerian Ministry of Health has appointed @mreazi, @timidakolo as ambassadors for the #TobaccoFreeNigeria and #ClearTheAir campaign”.

Mr Eazi, who retweeted the announcement, is currently on the DETTY tour, taking his EP Accra to Lagos to different parts of the world. Dakolo’s sophomore album, Love and Consequences, is set for release sometime during the year.

The anti-tobacco campaign comes after the World Health Organisation put the number of yearly tobacco-related deaths at about 6 million. Eighty percent of those deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria. 

"The campaign will leverage on social media and offline interactions to reach young Nigerians," said a statement from Nigeria's Ministry of Health, "especially second-hand smokers who need to be aware of the ban of smoking in public places and protect themselves."