By Akinwale Kasali

Following the review of the N49.7 Trillion 2025 Appropriation Bill presented by President Bola Tinubu to the National Assembly, Civil Society Organizations, under the aegis of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, have 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 made this appeal in a separate petition to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the Lower Chamber, Tajudeen Abbas, to reason 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 dangers in tobacco consumption and the stakes at hand, Akinbode Oluwafemi, CAPPA’s Executive Director, noted that tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death worldwide.

“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.

Akinbode 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 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.

Akinbode said: “Firstly, operational costs consume a large portion of the funds. The National Tobacco Control Committee, NATOCC, require 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 programs, 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.”

The CSOs reasoned that this would allow the National Tobacco Control Committee, NATOCC, and Tobacco Control Unit, TCU, domiciled within the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to convene mandated meetings and implement robust public health campaigns to educate citizens about the dangers of tobacco use, fund research initiatives to monitor trends in tobacco consumption and evaluate policy impacts, enhance enforcement efforts, including monitoring compliance with existing laws and prosecuting violations and support alternative livelihood programs for tobacco farmers, ensuring that they transition sustainably to other crops.

CAPPA further called for the full operationalisation of the National Tobacco Control Fund.

The Tobacco Control Fund, TCF, was established under Section 8 of the Nigeria Tobacco Control Act (NTCA), 2015, as part of a comprehensive framework to combat the harmful effects of tobacco consumption.

The fund is drawn from various sources, including appropriations from the national budget, proceeds of fines for violations of tobacco laws, and contributions from relevant development bodies for tobacco control.

Explaining the TCF’s importance, Oluwafemi added: “By establishing the TCF, the federal government recognised the enormous public health risks posed by tobacco and the role of adequate financial resources to combat them. In fact, the TCF is intended to support vital activities such as public health campaigns, regulatory enforcement of the NTCA, research on tobacco trends, and alternative livelihood programs for tobacco farmers.

“However, since its creation, the Fund has yet to achieve full operationalisation, leaving Nigerians vulnerable to the unchecked dangers of tobacco consumption and marketing.

“By fully operationalising the TCF, ensuring transparent and accountable fund management, and bolstering the institutional capacity of relevant public health authorities to exercise their mandate, the National Assembly will be leading the charge in safeguarding public health, reducing economic burdens, and protecting the environment from the devastating impacts of tobacco.”