Tobacco control advocates in Nigeria have urged the federal government to significantly increase the Tobacco Control Fund (TCF) beyond the N13 million allocated in the 2025 national budget.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, the Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA) and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) emphasised that increased funding is crucial for protecting public health.
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Speaking at the briefing, CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, called on the government to allocate at least N300 million to the TCF as an urgent measure to curb the tobacco industry’s growing influence.
Mr Oluwafemi said the lives of Nigerians are at stake from the adverse effects of tobacco use.
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“While the government drags its feet on adequate allocation to the Tobacco Control Fund, the tobacco industry is relentlessly lobbying the public to embrace newer, stylish kinds of harmful tobacco products and other so-called smokeless nicotine-filled products that it falsely presents as ‘less harmful’ or ‘safer’ than traditional tobacco use,” he said.
He said these alternative nicotine products includes vapes, also known as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), heated tobacco products (HTPs), snus, and oral nicotine pouches, among others.
Mr Oluwafemi lamented that these alternatives are targeted at the teeming, impressionable youth population which the industry sees as a potential replacement for the thousands of others who die or whose lives are destroyed by tobacco use.
About the TCF
The TCF, established under Section 8 of the Nigeria Tobacco Control Act (NTCA), 2015, is part of a comprehensive framework to combat the harmful effects of tobacco consumption.
It is funded from appropriations from the national budget, proceeds of fines for violations of tobacco laws, and contributions from relevant development bodies for tobacco control.
Allocations to the TCF enable the National Tobacco Control Committee (NATOCC) and Tobacco Control Unit (TCU) to carry out their obligations.
It also supports the work of relevant government institutions in health promotion initiatives, tobacco control programmes, and enforcement activities to ensure compliance with set laws and regulations.
Transparency, accountability
The Alliance Coordinator of NTCA, Olawale Makanjuola, stressed the need for transparency in managing the TCF.
Mr Makanjuola warned that simply increasing the budget without efficient utilisation would be counterproductive.
He advised the government through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to comply with the law in administering the TCF.
He explained that the National Tobacco Control Act requires that funds allocated for tobacco control in the national budget or from other sources are to be remitted to the Tobacco Control Fund account for utilisation.
“We urge the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to provide regular updates on the status of the Fund, including its balance, sources of the monies in the Fund and details of expenditures,” he said.
In his remarks, Michael Olaniyan, the Country Coordinator for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, warned of the dangers of Nigeria’s failure to act on the TCF.
Mr Olaniyan said every day Nigeria fails to adequately fund tobacco control, more lives are lost.
“Our youth are targeted by deadly marketing, and our health system edges closer to total collapse under the weight of preventable diseases,”he said.
“The cost of inaction is measured in cancer wards filled with the young and a future mortgaged to addiction and death.”
Tobacco use
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tobacco use is one of the world’s leading preventable causes of death and is a major preventable risk factor of noncommunicable diseases like cancer, lung and heart diseases.
The most common type of tobacco product used is manufactured cigarettes, but tobacco is also used in many other forms.
The global health agency said tobacco kills up to half of its users, and more than eight million people each year lose their lives as a result of direct tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke.
According to the 2012 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), 5.6 per cent (4.5 million) Nigerians of 15 years and older currently use tobacco products.
About 3.9 per cent (3.1 million) of this figure are current smokers.
The survey also found high and significant exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) during visits to public places with the prevalence of 82 per cent in bars or nightclubs, 36.3 per cent in coffee shops, 22.3 per cent in universities and 29.3 per cent in restaurants.
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