According to WHO, the volume of smoke inhaled in an hour-long shisha session is estimated to be equivalent to smoking between 100 and 200 cigarettes.Firstly, the top two most common reasons for smoking shisha LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered were: “no specific reason, shisha is trendy” “I want to have a feel of it” , implying shisha is gaining popularity among nightclub patrons and flavour. It appears that shisha smoking has become a contextual norm in nightclubs in Nigeria.
When this reporter visited a lounge where he disguised as a customer at Equinox Abacha road, Nasarawa state, 15 kilometers to the city centre in Abuja, it was gathered during the investigation many teenage girls with their boyfriends were seen patronising the place and taking Shisha. Samuel said the imported pots are more expensive, stressing that this is because they depict class and sophistication of the user.
He said: ‘’Shisha smoking is gaining increasing acceptance and appeal all over the world; Shisha smoking is generally perceived as less harmful than cigarette smoking and it is more prevalent among older men and younger women this is not true. However, findings show that shisha smoking is now rampant and addicted users have graduated from visiting nightclubs and shisha cafes to ownership of shisha paraphernalia in their homes.
The report found that men were significantly more frequent Shisha smokers than women, despite the lack of significant gender differences in the overall prevalence of shisha use in the past three months.