Poor funding threatens fight against cancer, tobacco deaths

From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar

Nigeria is losing the war against tobacco, not for lack of laws, but for lack of money. The Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA) has raised the alarm that only about N28 million was budgeted for tobacco control nationwide between 2023 and 2025.

That, it says, is a drop in the ocean compared to the N526.4 billion Nigerians spent treating tobacco-related illnesses in 2019 alone.

NTCA’s Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Onwuka, said the paltry funding is crippling the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 and leaving millions exposed to cancer, heart disease, and other tobacco-related deaths.

According to Onwuka, government’s domestic investment has barely moved: N4.7 million in 2023, N10 million in 2024, and N13 million in 2025.

“Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that more than 3.5 million Nigerians use tobacco, and about 16,100 people die every year from tobacco-related diseases,” he said.

The gap is glaring. For every N1 government puts into prevention, Nigerians are paying thousands to treat the damage.

Onwuka warned that enforcement of smoke-free laws, public awareness campaigns, cessation clinics, research, and monitoring of tobacco companies have all been propped up by foreign donors.

“Bloomberg Philanthropies, Vital Strategies, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and WHO have kept the lights on. But global funding is shrinking,” he said.

With donors pulling back, he cautioned that Nigeria is now vulnerable to aggressive marketing by tobacco companies, especially targeting young people.

NTCA is calling for a permanent fix: earmark a portion of tobacco tax revenue exclusively for tobacco control.

Onwuka pointed to Gabon, which dedicates one per cent of tobacco taxes to control programmes, and Côte d’Ivoire, which uses special, levies to fund health initiatives.

“NTCA, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids are asking for at least N300 million annually. That is not luxury. That is survival,” he said.

He described the N300 million proposal as “a practical investment” against rising hospital bills, lost productivity, and preventable deaths.

Onwuka urged the Federal Government, National Assembly, and state governments to act now, as stronger investment will protect lives, cut healthcare costs, and improve national productivity.