Nigeria’s N9.2m Tobacco Control Budget: A Risk To Young Lives
For Nigerian children and young people vulnerable to nicotine addiction, a tobacco control budget of just N9.2 million could mean weaker public education, poor enforcement of regulations and greater exposure to the marketing of addictive products.
In an opinion piece, Robert Egbe, Media and Communications Officer of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), argues that Nigeria cannot adequately protect its citizens from tobacco-related diseases while underfunding the institutions responsible for tobacco control.
Egbe notes that the 2026 Appropriation Act reduced the national tobacco control budget from N13 million in 2025 to N9.2 million, against CAPPA’s proposed minimum of N300 million annually.
He argues that the shortfall leaves the National Tobacco Control Committee and the Tobacco Control Unit of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare with insufficient resources to coordinate policies, educate the public, monitor compliance and enforce existing regulations.
The funding challenge, according to Egbe, is particularly concerning as Nigeria grapples with emerging nicotine products, including electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches, which he says require effective regulation to protect young people.
He also raises concerns about proposed amendments to the National Tobacco Control Act 2015.
According to his account, tobacco control advocates discovered that two amendment bills, initially presented as four pages, had been transformed into a 31-page consolidated document containing provisions that differed from those discussed at a public hearing in November 2024.
Egbe argues that the proposed changes would weaken existing public health safeguards and alleges that they bear the hallmarks of tobacco industry interference.
These allegations were presented in his opinion piece and have not been independently verified in this report.
To illustrate the stakes, Egbe cites an estimate that tobacco-related illnesses claim about 26,800 lives in Nigeria annually, in addition to the healthcare costs and productivity losses associated with tobacco use.
He maintains that without adequate funding, authorities will struggle to enforce smoke-free regulations, restrict tobacco advertising and sponsorship, monitor emerging nicotine products and counter industry marketing campaigns.
CAPPA had called on the National Assembly in January 2025 to increase the tobacco control allocation, arguing that the existing funding was insufficient to meet the responsibilities established by the 2015 law.
Egbe’s central argument is that Nigeria must treat tobacco control as a public health priority, not a marginal budget item.
He calls for an annual allocation of at least N300 million and stronger safeguards against commercial interference in tobacco regulation.
For Egbe, the choice is clear: adequately fund tobacco control institutions or risk leaving more Nigerians, particularly children and young people, vulnerable to nicotine addiction and preventable disease.
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