ADVERTISEMENT
  • The Membership Club
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Thursday, January 28, 2021
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Features
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Markets
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Features
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Markets
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
The UN health agency warned that tobacco’s killer toxins also wreak havoc on the environment. [Photo: ITV.com]

Cigarettes

Raise tax on tobacco, advocates urge Nigerian government

byAyodamola Owoseye
August 24, 2019
3 min read

Nigerian tobacco control advocates have urged the federal government to raise the tax collected on all tobacco products and earmark a percentage of these for tobacco control activities across the country.

This advice was given in Abuja on Thursday during a press conference organised by Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance in collaboration with other advocates against tobacco use in the country.

The group earlier had a high level stakeholders session with officials from government agencies to advocate on tobacco tax to be earmarked for controlling tobacco activities in the country.

The group said increasing taxation on tobacco and earmarking a percentage of the levies for the control, can successfully reduce the menace of tobacco use in the country.

The group said Nigeria gets over N10 billion on tobacco tax yearly, yet no percentage of the levy is earmarked for tobacco control.

Tobacco tax earmarking is the setting aside of a fraction of tobacco tax for special and specific purposes.

For example, the revenue collected by the government from tobacco taxation, licencing, duties, among others can be channelled to specific funds especially for public health.

Tobacco use

The World Health Organisation factsheet shows that tobacco use is the leading cause of non-communicable diseases.

RelatedNews

Lagos govt sets up mobile vans for Tuberculosis screening

Biden reverses Trump’s decision to ‘cut ties’ with WHO

On first day Biden issues orders nullifying key Trump policies

Joe Biden takes office as America’s President, calls for end to ‘Uncivil War’

Tobacco is the leading cause of death, illness and impoverment. It kills up to half of its users.

WHO said more than eight million people die each year from tobacco. About seven million of those deaths are as a result of direct tobacco use while 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoking.

Eighty per cent of the world’s 1.1 billion smokers live in low and middle income countries like Nigeria.

Dangote adbanner 728x90_2 (1)

A survey conducted by the Nigeria Global Adult Tobacco Survey and published by the WHO said at least 20 billion sticks of cigarettes are smoked annually with the health hazards leading to about 17,000 deaths annually.

Nigeria is one of the countries with the lowest tobacco taxation rate in the world.

Charge

ERA/FoEN Deputy Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, at the meeting, said the group is using the opportunity to set the agenda for the newly inaugurated ministers of health and their colleagues in other ministries to implement the National Tobacco Control Act.
Mr Oluwafemi said, for several decades, the groups have worked to have the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 implemented and before the end of the last parliament, they also passed the Tobacco Control Regulations Amendment Bill.

He said part of the provisions of the bill is the creation of the tobacco control fund.

This, he said would allow enough funds to be available to carry out activities targeted towards rolling back tobacco addiction and ill-health associated with tobacco use in the country.

ADVERTISEMENT

“About 16,800 Nigerians die every year as a result of tobacco use. There are necessary policies that government must carry out to be able to implement and enforce the law.

He said the problem had been the lack of enough budgetary allocation to the ministry of health to carry out this activities.

He said the government can benefit directly from tobacco tax increases. “Increased revenue can pay for tobacco control interventions, combating infectious diseases,” he said.

CISLAC Project Manager, Okeke Anya, said there is a urgent need for the government to increase taxes on tobacco products.

Mr Anya said taxation has been seen as one of the major ways to control the consequences of tobacco use in the country.

“It is important to emphasise on government authorities that is is not just enough to collect all those taxes that deals with tobacco but also to put some money aside because tobacco control is about the health of people. Money must be put aside to deal with the entire consequence that tobacco cause, ” he said.

Mr Anya said a tax system that encourages huge taxation should be put in place to drastically reduce the consumption of tobacco products.

He said the yearly N20 tax levied on every packet of cigarettes with 20 sticks “is too little to discourage people from smoking.”

Communique

Reading the communique from the meeting, Olu’Seun Esan of the Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance said the recommendation “is that Federal Ministry of Health should as an urgency set up a national tobacco control fund for financing tobacco control in the country”.

He also added that the ministry should coordinate the effort to set up the fund with other agencies.

Mr Esan added that the National Tobacco Control Fund is a provision of the 2015 National Tobacco Control Act and till now has not been implemented.

“We are using this as an opportunity to call for the implementation of the act such that the tobacco control funds should be set up,” he said. “We are also calling on civil society organisations and the media to continue to put forward the conversation on earmarking the tobacco control fund to the public space to ensure the government comply with the act.”

  • WhatsApp
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Telegram
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket

Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate


TEXT AD: To advertise here . Call Willie +2347088095401...


JOIN THE CONVERSATION

  • Disqus (0)
premiumtimes



PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

Zimbabwe’s 2019 tobacco production hits record high

Next Post

Three months after Buhari’s directive, Apapa roads remain congested

Ayodamola Owoseye

Ayodamola Owoseye

Ayodamola Owoseye is a senior reporter covering the health beat for PREMIUM TIMES.  She is a graduate of the University of Ibadan, and holds a B.A in Anthropology and M.Sc in Information Science. Ayodamola advocates gender equity and loves travelling and listening to old skool music. Twitter: @damolaowoseye

More News

MUNICH, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 17: Microsoft founder Bill Gates speaks during a book presentation at the 53rd Munich Security Conference at Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, Germany, on Februrary 16, 2017. The annual event brings together government representatives and security experts from across the globe. Andreas Gebert / Anadolu Agency | Keine Weitergabe an Wiederverkäufer.

Bill Gates to Nigerian govt: Invest in healthcare, not COVID-19 vaccines

January 27, 2021
U.S. President, Joe Biden (Photo Credit: CBC.ca)

COVID-19: U.S. to renew travel restrictions on EU, South Africa, Brazil – Reports

January 25, 2021
Mexico’s President Andres Obrador

Mexican president, Obrador tests positive for COVID-19

January 25, 2021
President Muhammadu Buhari [PHOTO CREDIT: Bashir Ahmad]

UPDATED: Buhari to ECOWAS leaders: Let’s prioritise indigenous development of COVID-19 vaccines

January 24, 2021
COVID-19 vaccine [PHOTO CREDIT: The Economic Times]

India probes deadly blaze at AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine production site

January 23, 2021
Nigerian Police officers used to illustrate the story

Nigeria police rescue eight abducted health workers

January 21, 2021
Next Post
Trucks on the Oshodi-Apapa port road

Three months after Buhari's directive, Apapa roads remain congested

Mr Nigeria, Nelson Enwerem

Mr Nigeria bags five talent awards at grand finale of Mr World

Discussion about this post

Search

#EndSARS: Latest Updates




Polaris Bank


JAIZ Ad


NITDA Ad




Subscribe to News via Email

Enter your email address and receive notifications of news by email.

Join 1,605,924 other subscribers.

Advertisement






netherland biz school Advert

Zenith Advert
ADVERTISEMENT

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Features
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Markets
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • Opinion
  • PT Hausa
  • The Membership Club
  • Dubawa
    • Dubawa NG
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Store
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

Our website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.