The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), has intensified its call on the Federal Government to boost funding for tobacco control, warning that Nigeria is ill-prepared to confront the rising surge of tobacco use and emerging nicotine products among young people.
In a statement signed by its Media and Communications Officer, Robert Egbe, the organisation urged the government to increase the annual tobacco control budget to a minimum of N300 million, stressing that current allocations are grossly inadequate for effective enforcement of the National Tobacco Control Act (NTCA) 2015.
The demand follows CAPPA’s newly released report, “New Smoke Trap: New and Emerging Nicotine and Tobacco Products, Youth Exposure and Policy Gaps in Nigeria,” which exposes how tobacco companies are leveraging regulatory loopholes to push addictive products, including e-cigarettes, vapes, and other smokeless nicotine devices into the Nigerian market, with a strong focus on youths.
The Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, warned that the combination of weak enforcement, insufficient funding, and aggressive marketing is creating a dangerous pathway to a new generation of nicotine addiction.
“The nicotine market is evolving rapidly, and young Nigerians are the primary targets. Without adequate resources for enforcement, regulation, and public awareness, the country risks a looming public health crisis,” he said.
CAPPA noted that tobacco use continues to claim nearly 30,000 lives annually in Nigeria, describing it as one of the leading causes of preventable deaths.
Budget Increase and Better Funding
It also referenced data from the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA), which revealed that over N526 billion was spent on treating tobacco-related illnesses in 2019.
The organisation expressed concern that despite the heavy health and economic burden, tobacco control remains significantly underfunded, hampering key interventions such as public education campaigns, enforcement of smoke-free policies, industry monitoring, and research into emerging nicotine trends.
It further decried the poor state of the Tobacco Control Fund (TCF), established under the NTCA, noting that it is yet to be fully operational and lacks the financial backing needed to function effectively.
According to CAPPA, improved funding would empower critical institutions like the National Tobacco Control Committee (NATOCC) and the Tobacco Control Unit of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to strengthen compliance, enforce advertising bans, and prosecute offenders nationwide.
The group also highlighted the importance of supporting tobacco farmers to transition to alternative, sustainable livelihoods through targeted investments in training, technical assistance, and financial support.
CAPPA additionally warned that tobacco companies are intensifying their presence on digital platforms, deploying influencers, lifestyle-driven campaigns, and misleading harm-reduction narratives to lure young consumers.
Describing the trend as a calculated strategy to replace users lost to tobacco-related deaths, the organisation urged the government to tighten regulations and ensure adequate funding for enforcement.
Stronger Fiscal Policy
Beyond budget increases, CAPPA called for stronger fiscal policies, including raising tobacco taxes to at least 100 percent and allocating part of the proceeds to health interventions and tobacco control programmes.
The organisation urged policymakers to treat tobacco control as an urgent national priority, cautioning that failure to act decisively will further strain the healthcare system, worsen poverty levels, and expose millions, particularly youths to preventable diseases.
“Strengthening tobacco control is an investment in public health. It will save lives, reduce healthcare costs, and safeguard the future of Nigeria’s younger population,” Oluwafemi said.