Vaping in Nigeria: Green Outside, Deadly Within

When, during the 1920s, the American public began to identify smoking as the cause of their persistent cough, throat irritation, and other related diseases, tobacco companies - fearing a threat to their profits - began a devious media blitz. Using mostly models who posed as doctors, they falsely claimed that cigarettes were harmless or that some cigarette brands were less harmful than others.

- BY ROBERT EGBE

Almost 90 years after, the tobacco and allied industries, especially Big Tobacco - the world's four largest transnational tobacco companies and their subsidiaries that keep the tobacco epidemic going - are still neck deep in the business of duping people that their products are "less harmful" Conscious that smoking's deadly effects have been exposed, but driven by the stupendous profits they make from producing and selling products of death and diseases, Big Tobacco is relentlessly devising new means to remain in their noxious business.

Top among the addictive novel products the industry now admits are harmful, but "safer alternatives"- whatever that means are electronic cigarettes. (e-cigarettes), sometimes called e-cigs, vapes, vape pens, and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).

If the industry has its way, it will have the world believe these toxic products are not harmful and should be consumed, whether as an alternative or in addition to cigarettes and other traditional tobacco poisons that the industry still manufactures, advertises and sells in billions every year.

In furtherance of this dangerous scam, the industry is attempting to hoodwink the public into embracing what it calls 'World Vape Day, which it claims is to be celebrated on May 30.