THE Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on the National Assembly to increase the budgetary allocation for tobacco control from N10 million to N300 million in the proposed 2025 national budget.
The group made the appeal in a statement on Tuesday, January 21, adding that it had written separate petitions to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, as lawmakers review the N49.7 trillion appropriation bill presented by President Bola Tinubu in December 2024.
The CAPPA’s executive director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, stressed the urgent need for increased funding to address the “devastating impact” of tobacco use in Nigeria.
According to him, tobacco consumption remains a leading preventable cause of death globally, with Nigeria recording over 26,800 tobacco-related deaths annually.
He highlighted the broader health implications of tobacco use, including non-communicable diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and chronic respiratory illnesses, which he said placed a significant burden on the nation’s healthcare system.
Oluwafemi also decried the financial and environmental toll of tobacco use, noting that billions of naira are lost annually in healthcare expenses and reduced productivity.
He added that tobacco cultivation contributed to deforestation and soil degradation, while cigarette waste polluted the environment.
“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 CAPPA director expressed concern about the rise of unregulated tobacco and nicotine products targeting younger demographics. He accused tobacco companies of exploiting weak regulatory systems to aggressively market their products on social media and through corporate social responsibility initiatives, undermining public health efforts.
While acknowledging the increase in tobacco control funding from N4.7 million in 2023 to N10 million in 2024, CAPPA described the current allocation as grossly inadequate to regulate tobacco use.
Oluwafemi explained that critical activities such as public sensitisation campaigns, enforcement of tobacco control laws, and support for farmers transitioning from tobacco to sustainable crops required significant financial investment.
He pointed out that the National Tobacco Control Committee (NATOCC), coordinating tobacco control efforts, faced operational challenges due to insufficient funding.
CAPPA also called for the full operationalisation of the National Tobacco Control Fund (TCF), established under the National Tobacco Control Act (NTCA) 2015, noting that the fund, designed to support public health campaigns, and enforcement activities, among others, had yet to be fully implemented.
The group appealed to lawmakers to act decisively to strengthen Nigeria’s tobacco control framework and mitigate the devastating impacts of tobacco use on citizens and the economy.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M