CAPPA Urges FG to Increase Tobacco Control Funding, Warns of Rising Youth Targeting

CAPPA Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi

Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on the Federal Government to significantly increase funding for tobacco control, warning that current budgetary provisions are inadequate to tackle the growing public health risks posed by tobacco use and emerging nicotine products.

In a statement issued at the weekend, the organisation urged the government to raise the annual allocation for tobacco control to at least N300 million, with sustained increases in subsequent budgets. It noted that existing funding levels fall short of what is required to effectively implement the National Tobacco Control Act (NTCA) 2015.

The call follows the release of CAPPA’s report titled “New Smoke Trap: New and Emerging Nicotine and Tobacco Products, Youth Exposure and Policy Gaps in Nigeria,” which highlights how tobacco companies are exploiting regulatory gaps to introduce and promote new nicotine products, including electronic cigarettes and vapes, particularly among young Nigerians.

CAPPA Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said the rapid proliferation of these products, coupled with weak enforcement and limited funding, poses a significant threat to public health.

He warned that the evolving nicotine market is increasingly targeting young people, stressing that inadequate investment in regulation, enforcement and public education could lead to a new wave of addiction.

According to CAPPA, tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable deaths in Nigeria, accounting for nearly 30,000 deaths annually. The organisation, citing data from the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA), also noted that Nigerians spent over N526 billion on the treatment of tobacco-related diseases in 2019.

Despite these figures, CAPPA lamented that tobacco control efforts remain underfunded, affecting key activities such as public awareness campaigns, enforcement of smoke-free laws, monitoring of industry practices, and research into emerging nicotine trends.

The group further observed that the Tobacco Control Fund (TCF), established under the NTCA to support tobacco control initiatives, has yet to be fully operationalised and remains under-resourced.

CAPPA stated that increased funding would enable relevant bodies, including the National Tobacco Control Committee (NATOCC) and the Tobacco Control Unit of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, to effectively carry out their mandates, including nationwide sensitisation, compliance monitoring, enforcement of advertising restrictions, and prosecution of offenders.

The organisation also highlighted the need for sustained investment in alternative livelihoods for tobacco farmers, noting that transitioning to safer crops requires technical support and financial assistance.

It further warned that tobacco companies are intensifying marketing efforts on digital platforms, using influencers and lifestyle branding to attract young users, often with misleading claims about reduced harm.

CAPPA reiterated its call for stronger fiscal and regulatory measures, including increasing tobacco taxes to at least 100 per cent and allocating part of the revenue to public health interventions and tobacco control programmes.

The organisation urged policymakers to prioritise tobacco control, warning that failure to act decisively could worsen health outcomes, increase healthcare costs, and expose more Nigerians, especially youths, to preventable diseases.

It added that increased investment in tobacco control would help save lives, reduce healthcare expenses, and protect future generations from nicotine addiction.