Reps seeks N100m for Tobacco control fund

The House of Representatives on Wednesday, urged the Federal Government to allocate N100m to Nigeria’s Tobacco Control Fund to enable it to deliver on its mandate.

This followed the adoption of a motion during Wednesday’s plenary on the “Need for the Federal Government to increase budgetary allocation to Nigeria’s Tobacco Control Fund,” moved by the member representing Calabar Municipal/Odukpani Federal Constituency, Cross River State, Bassey Akiba.

Speaking on the significance of the motion, Akiba said Section 8 of the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 provides that there shall be funding for the National Tobacco Control Committee to enforce compliance with the provisions of the Act.

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He noted that though the Federal Government recently doubled its financial commitment to the Tobacco Control Fund from N4.7m to N10m in the 2024 budget, the allocation is inadequate to meet the challenges of tobacco control in the country.

He said, “While this commitment is encouraging, N10m is insufficient to meet the needs of the under-resourced Tobacco Control Fund, domiciled under the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.”

Emphasising the importance of sufficient funding for tobacco control in the country; the lawmaker noted that health risks associated with tobacco consumption could worsen in the country if action is not taken.

He stated, “Tobacco control is a government priority due to its significant impact on preventable death, including cancer, and its annual economic cost. It kills nearly 30, 000 Nigerians annually and shortens life expectancy by ten years. It increases cardiovascular disease and stroke risks. The House is worried that cigarette smoke contains 7,000 chemicals and about 70 of them cause cancer.

“In addition, exposure to secondhand smoke increases heart attack risk in non-smokers by 60% and lung cancer risk by 30%. There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke. The House is aware that with the fund, the National Tobacco and other ministries and agencies responsible for the enforcement of the Act would be equipped to enforce the prohibition of smoking in public places to advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco products.

“We are aware that the budgetary allocation for tobacco control will address the needs of those agencies of government so as not to depend on international donors or local non-governmental organisations and the tobacco industry players. With Nigeria’s frail health system, there is a need to prioritise financing and control measures to prevent tobacco-related diseases, as consumption is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases like respiratory illness, cardiovascular disorder and cancer.”

He added, “With the adoption of the motion, the House presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas urged the federal government to increase the budgetary allocation of the Nigeria Tobacco Control from last year’s budget of N10m to N100m in the 2025 budget estimates to enable it to carry out its statutory functions effectively.”

It also urged the Federal Ministry of Health to provide an update on the status of the Tobacco Control Fund, especially detailing the current balance, sources of money in the fund and details of previous spending from the fund.