By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
IMMEDIATE ACTION to raise Nigeria’s excise tax on tobacco products to 100 percent could save thousands of lives and recover at least N526billion annually from healthcare costs and productivity losses, the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has said.
In a statement on Thursday, the organisation warned that the tobacco industry continues to target Nigerians with traditional and novel smokeless products such as vapes and e-cigarettes, despite their link to severe diseases.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) associates tobacco use with multiple non-communicable diseases including lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sudden infant death syndrome, and other debilitating conditions.
CAPPA cited Nigerian Tobacco Control Data Initiative figures showing that 90 percent of tobacco production takes place in developing countries, which bear the environmental cost, while wealthier nations reap most of the profits.
Federal government data indicated that Nigerians consumed over 20 billion sticks of cigarettes annually as of 2018, with nearly 30,000 tobacco-related deaths each year.
CAPPA referenced Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa analysis estimating N526.4billion was spent in 2019 on treatment for tobacco-related diseases.
Nigeria currently applies a mixed excise tax system, a 30 percent ad valorem tax on the cost of production, a specific excise tax of N84 per pack of 20 cigarettes introduced in June 2022, and a shisha/tobacco levy of N3,000 per litre or N1,000 per kilogram, increasing by N500 annually.
Although a 50 percent rate was proposed in April 2023, it has not been implemented.
CAPPA called for alignment with global best practice and emulation of countries such as Senegal, Kenya, and South Africa, which have introduced stronger measures to protect youth and curb addiction.
Executive Director Akinbode Oluwafemi warned that tobacco-related diseases strain Nigeria’s health systems, drain budgets, reduce workforce productivity, and deepen poverty.
He urged the government to raise taxes to 100 percent, allocate part of the revenue to health promotion and NCD prevention, and fully implement the National Tobacco Control Act while resisting industry interference.
