Smoking: Nigerian celebrities that have conquered addiction

Over the years, there have been many Nigerian artistes who have done songs and music videos that seemed to glorify smoking. These songs can be said to have had a great influence on some Nigerian youths, especially the younger ones who take these expressions as a nod to smoking cigarettes and the likes.

Some already known and upcoming artistes have also been said to rely on smoking as the source of their inspiration to get and record “good” songs.

Some Nigerian celebrities like Don Jazzy, Davido, and Tonto Dikeh who are ex-smokers, have contributed to the reduction of this menace among young Nigerians by publicly announcing that they had quit their bad habit of smoking in public.

According to reports, Nollywood actress Tonto Dikeh, is one Nigerian celebrity who acted in movies that glorified smoking in public and who made a great mark when she quit acting in movies that glorify use of hard drugs or smoking in public.

On 17th February, 2018, she disclosed a tangible reason why she decided to quit smoking. She was quoted to have said: “what if my son needs blood tomorrow? What will I say to myself? That I cannot donate blood for my son because I indulge in cannabis?”

She recently talked about her innovation ‘The Tonto Dikeh Foundation’ which she stated was meant to say no to drug abuse and contribute to national development.

Meanwhile, this decision has totally reconfigured her life as she is regarded as a “woman of value” today.

Michael Collins Ajere, popularly known as Don Jazzy, who used to be a known smoker, recently celebrated years of not smoking. The Mavin boss advised upcoming stars on what to do, telling them they don’t need to smoke to make a hit.

According to him, he has over a hundred hits to his name without smoking weed, “so why should upcoming artistes smoke weed to make hit?”

Meanwhile, Don Jazzy’s decision prompted another smoker to quit smoking as well, talking about no less personality than David Adedeji Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, a Nigerian-American singer, songwriter and record producer.

The question of whether or not Davido is a ‘Science student’ first sprang up when his voice began to sound ‘froggy’ and also at the point the singer started showing off his smoking lifestyle on the social media.

However, a year after the Mavins boss (Don Jazzy) celebrated a year of not smoking; Davido also took to the social media, held a pack of cigarette in a picture he uploaded, with the caption “quitting soon”.

On the contrary, there are some Nigerian artistes who have recorded and made hit songs and yet abide with the Nigeria constitution which restricts smoking in public places; neither do they promote it in their songs, musical videos or on the social media.

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