As Nigeria Battles A Public Health Crisis, CAPPA Urges 100% Tobacco Tax To Curb Addiction, Save Lives
In a country where nearly 30,000 lives are lost annually to tobacco-related diseases and the healthcare system groans under the weight of preventable illnesses, the call for stronger tobacco control has never been more urgent.
While other African nations are taking bold steps to protect their citizens, Nigeria is yet to fully leverage one of the most effective tools in public health policy, taxation.
It is against this backdrop that the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has now renewed calls on the Federal Government to raise excise tax on tobacco products to 100 per cent.
The group argues this bold move would not only save thousands of lives but also plug the estimated ₦526 billion Nigeria bleeds each year in healthcare costs and lost productivity linked to tobacco use.
In a statement released Thursday, CAPPA said the tobacco industry is aggressively targeting Nigerians particularly young people with vapes and other e-cigarettes under the guise of “harm reduction”, despite growing evidence that these products are equally dangerous.
“The industry is grooming the next generation of addicts, replacing the thousands who die yearly,” said Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director at CAPPA.
Data from the Nigerian Tobacco Control Data Initiative paints a grim picture: over 20 billion sticks of cigarettes are consumed annually in the country, while tobacco production largely based in developing nations like Nigeria enriches foreign companies and leaves the environmental and health burden behind.
Nigeria currently imposes a 30% ad valorem tax and a flat ₦84 specific excise tax per pack of 20 cigarettes. Although a 50% increase was proposed in 2023, it remains unimplemented.
CAPPA pointed to recent actions by fellow African countries: Senegal just raised its tobacco tax to 100%, Kenya banned the import of vapes, and South Africa has proposed tighter public smoking laws. Nigeria, it said, must act swiftly.
“Raising tobacco taxes is a proven, life-saving strategy. It’s time Nigeria followed suit,” said Oluwafemi, who also urged government to ring-fence part of the revenue for health promotion, NCD prevention, and implementation of the National Tobacco Control Act.
CAPPA also warned all levels of government to resist industry interference that puts profit above public health.
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