As the world marks the 20th anniversary of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC), the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has urged the Nigerian government to strengthen the enforcement of tobacco control laws.
FCTC is the first global public health treaty, adopted on 27 February 2005 and it regulates tobacco products, including their content, packaging, advertising, marketing, sponsorship, price, taxation, and illicit trade, to protect future generations from the health, social, environmental, and economic consequences of tobacco use.
Nigeria joined 183 other countries when it became a signatory to the treaty in 2004 and ratified it in 2005. To implement the convention, the country enacted the National Tobacco Control Act 2015, and later the National Tobacco Control Regulations in 2019, and, most recently, the Regulation prohibiting the promotion of smoking.
CAPPA emphasized the need for better implementation of the acts and regulations prohibiting the promotion of smoking particularly in the film and music industry.
Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of CAPPA, noted that despite existing laws, enforcement remains weak, allowing the tobacco industry to exploit regulatory gaps and target young Nigerians with new addictive products leading to deaths and life-threatening diseases.
He said: “Annually, more than 8 million people die from diseases caused by smoking and other tobacco use. In Nigeria, tobacco-related illnesses kill 26,800 yearly and cause terrifying non-communicable diseases including cancer, heart disease, and chronic respiratory diseases on thousands more, costing billions in healthcare expenses and lost productivity.
“In addition, tobacco cultivation, manufacturing and use poison our water, soil, beaches and streets with chemicals, toxic waste, cigarette butts, including microplastics, and e-cigarette waste, destroying our environment and further harming human and animal health.”
“The tobacco industry is exploiting our weak legislative and enforcement environment to aggressively lobby governments and the public to embrace newer kinds of harmful tobacco products that it presents as ‘safer’ than traditional tobacco use. Through deceptive marketing on social media and corporate social responsibility (CSR), the industry undermines tobacco control laws and entices more users into tobacco consumption.”
CAPPA called for the full operationalization of the National Tobacco Control Fund (NTCF), recommending an increase in allocation from N10 million to a minimum of N300 million for effective regulation.
The increased funding, according to CAPPA, would enable the National Tobacco Control Committee and the Tobacco Control Unit to implement public health campaigns, fund research initiatives, enhance enforcement efforts, and support alternative livelihood programs for tobacco farmers.
“The FCTC has been known to save lives, and by leveraging it locally, we can shield more Nigerians from the dangers of the tobacco industry,” Oluwafemi said.