…as young people remain target for tobacco consumption

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – AS tobacco related deaths and diseases continue to sniff life out of Nigerians, the Nigerian Tobacco Control Alliance, NTCA, and the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, Tuesday, called on the Federal Government to significantly increase the Tobacco Control Fund, TCF, to N300 million in the 2025 budget.

The call was made at a joint press conference organised by NTCA, and CAPPA, while acknowledging the increase by government from N10 million in 2024 to N13 million, both organisations lamented that N13 million remains grossly insufficient compared to the level of funding required for the effective implementation of the National Tobacco Control Act, NTCA, 2015 and protection of Nigerians from the multifaceted harms of tobacco use.

The Executive Director, CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi said: “We urge the government to prioritise the Tobacco Control Fund, increase the allocation to at least N300million as an urgent measure to stop the tobacco industry from causing more damage. The lives of Nigerians are at stake.

“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.

“These alternative nicotine products, including 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, are targeted at our 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.

“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 programs, and enforcement activities to ensure compliance with set laws and regulations.

“So, with better funding, the government can enforce stricter regulations to prevent tobacco marketing targeting youth and ensure compliance with age restrictions on tobacco sales.

“The government can also better monitor compliance with existing laws, such as advertising bans and smoke-free zone regulations, ensuring tobacco companies adhere to guidelines.

“By investing more in the Tobacco Control Fund, Nigeria can pave the way for a healthier population and reduce the burden of tobacco-related illnesses.”

Also the Alliance Coordinator, NTCA, Olawale Makanjuola, called for transparency in administering the TCF, noting that increasing the sum in the budget, without efficient deployment of same to tobacco control efforts would be counterproductive.

Makanjuola also counseled the government through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to comply with the law in administering the TCF.

“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 utilization. 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 added.

The Country Coordinator for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Michael Olaniyan, also warned of the dangers of Nigeria’s failure to act on the TCF.

“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. The cost of inaction is measured in cancer wards filled with the young and a future mortgaged to addiction and death.

“If the government does not act now with a substantial budgetary allocation to the To bacco Control Fund, they are not just failing in local and global commitment to health policies—we are failing our people. The time to seriously fund TC is now”, Olaniyan said.

Both organisations aso pointed out that poor funding restricts tobacco control interventions, and noted that effective sensitisation campaigns need robust media outreach, deep community engagement, and active coordination with various stakeholders across the country, all of which require substantial funding to reach a broad audience and create impactful messages.

“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.”

However, CAPPA and NTCA noted that despite longstanding stakeholder calls, the TCF has yet to be fully operationalised, allowing tobacco companies to exploit Nigeria’s weak monitoring systems to expose Nigerians to the unchecked dangers of online tobacco marketing, abuse corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to gain favour with public health authorities, thereby undermining tobacco control laws and enticing more users into tobacco consumption.

“Right now, Nigeria’s tobacco control efforts depend on donor funding, which is not inexhaustible. Many countries were caught flatfooted by the Trump Administration’s scraping of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

“Nigeria must not wait until that happens before it takes action to protect the health of its people against the onslaught of the tobacco industry. It must adequately increase the tobacco control fund”, they added.