As the National Assembly continues its review of the N49.7 trillion 2025 Appropriation Bill presented by President Bola Tinubu on December 18, 2024, the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on the Senate and House of Representatives to raise the budgetary allocation for Tobacco Control in the 2025 National Budget from the current N10 million to N300 million.
CAPPA, in separate petitions sent to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker Dr Tajudeen Abbas on Monday, reasoned that allocating a minimum of N300m is essential to address the multifaceted challenges posed by tobacco use and support the effective implementation of the National Tobacco Control Act (NTCA) 2015.
Highlighting the danger of tobacco consumption, Akinbode Oluwafemi, CAPPA’s Executive Director, noted that tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death worldwide, including in Nigeria.
“Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death worldwide, and Nigeria is no exception. Annually, tobacco-related illnesses claim 26,800 Nigerian lives and inflict debilitating conditions and non-communicable diseases like cancer, heart disease, and chronic respiratory diseases on thousands more. The economic toll is immense, costing billions in healthcare expenses and lost productivity. Additionally, tobacco cultivation exacerbates deforestation and soil degradation, while cigarette waste pollutes the environment,” Oluwafemi said.
The challenge, he noted, is further compounded by the emergence of unregulated tobacco and nicotine products that target younger demographics and exploit gaps in the regulatory framework.
Oluwafemi added: “These products, including electronic cigarettes and novel smokeless tobacco, are marketed as trendy despite their health risks. Moreover, tobacco companies in Nigeria continue to exploit weak monitoring systems to market their offerings aggressively on social media, as well as utilise corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to gain favour with public health authorities, thereby undermining tobacco control laws and enticing more users into tobacco consumption.
“To counteract these threats, it is imperative that the Nigerian government intensify its efforts in regulation and control, recognising the grave public health and economic impacts of tobacco use. To be clear, the Federal Government must respond with proportional investment in the Tobacco Control Fund (TCF) for the effective regulation of tobacco consumption.”
CAPPA observed that while the 2024 budget commendably increased allocation to the TCF to N10 million from N4.7 million directed to it in 2023, it remains insufficient for several critical reasons.
Oluwafemi said: “Firstly, operational costs consume a large portion of the funds. The National Tobacco Control Committee (NATOCC) requires substantial finance running in millions for the coordination of its meetings, which should occur at least four times annually as stipulated by the National Tobacco Control Act (NTCA). The current allocation to the TCF, which provides support for these meetings, remains poor and, therefore, leaves virtually no financial room for this activity or other essential responsibilities of the NATOCC.
“Secondly, effective sensitisation campaigns need robust media outreach, deep community engagement, and active coordination with various stakeholders across the country. These activities require substantial funding to reach a wide audience and create impactful messages.
“Thirdly, there is a pressing need for alternative cropping initiatives to support tobacco farmers transitioning to sustainable crops. This shift involves continuous investment in training programmes, provision of quality seedlings, and adequate financial support to ensure that these farmers can move to more sustainable and health-friendly agricultural practices.
“Furthermore, enforcement and monitoring activities are crucial to combat industry interference and ensure compliance with tobacco control regulations. This includes prosecuting violations, safeguarding smoke-free spaces and ensuring a ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, amongst other efforts. Adequate funding is also essential to equip and train enforcement teams on the front lines of this battle, ensuring that regulations are not only in place but actively upheld.”
To this end, CAPPA made two requests of the upper and lower chambers. The first is to “increase the tobacco control allocation to a minimum of N300m in the 2025 budget and ensure subsequent increments in future budgets.”
Secondly, CAPPA called for the full operationalisation of the Tobacco Control Fund.
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