- Probes previous allocations
From Idu Jude, Abuja
The Federal Government of Nigeria has been advised on the need for an increased funding for effective tobacco control in Nigeria.
The call was made Tuesday, by National Tobacco Control Alliance NTCA during a press conference in Abuja.
Chairman of the group Akinbode Olufemi, while thanking the federal government for the 10 million naira 2024 grant for tobacco control measures, insisted that the government should increase the tobacco control funding and ensure full implementation of the Act as established by the federal government.
The group further, probed the Tobacco control funding, which it said has been underfunded and under-utilised. “yes we know that the 10 million naira released for Tobacco control funding is a little higher compared to that of 2023, which was 4.7 million naira. However owing to the economic reality, we discovered that we are not making any improvements. What we are saying here is that billions of naira are involved in the taxation of these tobacco companies across the country.
“Another critical concern is whether the monies previously budgeted were released into the funding account. It is impressive to remind the federal government that the National Tobacco Control Act stipulates that funds allocated for tobacco control in the national budget from other sources are to be remitted to the tobacco control fund account for utilisation. We strongly desire to see that this is complied with, and for this reason, we call on the Federal Ministry of Health to provide an update on the status of the tobacco control fund, especially detailing the current balance, sources of monies in the fund, and details previous expenditures.”
Meanwhile, the group has raised concern about whether all tobacco companies have been fulfilling their obligations of paying for operating licenses after gaining approval to do business in Nigeria.
“It is impressive that tobacco companies comply with this requirement, as it serves as a crucial regulatory measure to monitor their operations and ensure their adherence to established guidelines. Allowing companies to operate without licenses, not only poses a health hazard due to the harmful nature of their products but also bleeds the country of revenue.”
The body said to ensure a holistic approach to the implementation of the policy, that is time for the federal government, should consider earmarking tobacco tax for the control measures. It recommended that, “The Federal government can as well establish a funding mechanism that directly aligns with the objectives of ending tobacco consumption, preventing tobacco -related diseases and promoting public health”.