Opinions

The Problem With N10m Tobacco Control Fund

By Robert Egbe

The national budget for 2024 saw Nigeria double its financial commitment
to the Tobacco Control Fund (TCF) from N4.7 million of the previous year
to N10 million, heeding long-standing stakeholder calls for increased
funding.

The money earmarked for tobacco control aligns with Section 8 of the
Nigeria Tobacco Control Act (NTCA), 2015, which stipulates funding for
the National Tobacco Control Committee (NTCC) and Tobacco Control Unit
(TCU) to carry out their obligations. This fund, drawn from various
government revenues, support the work of relevant government
institutions in health promotion initiatives, tobacco control programs,
and enforcement activities to ensure compliance with set laws and
regulations.

By outlining a dedicated fund for tobacco control in the NTCA, the
federal government indicated that it appreciated the necessity and
capacity of such measures to facilitate the security of public health.

Nonetheless, the journey towards operationalizing the fund has been
fraught with challenges and protracted, with the current allocation
being very modest. To be clear, the budget increase to N10 million,
though a step in the right direction, still falls short of the broad
spectrum of tasks and necessary financial resources required for the
tobacco control committee to discharge its responsibilities effectively.

For instance, the committee is expected to meet at least four times
annually, as stated in the NTCA. Yet, last year, the committee noted
that convening even a single meeting alone costs a minimum of N4
million. The figure does not include expenditure for other essential
activities such as the coordination of public health campaigns,
population-wide cessation and anti-smoking programs, and collaborations
with a variety of stakeholders among other initiatives.

The NTCA, in another case, is expected to work with the Ministry of
Agriculture and other relevant agencies on alternative cropping for
tobacco farmers. Such a transition would require ongoing trainings,
distribution of substitute seedlings, and potentially, the provision of
even soft loans to aid farmers make the switch.  Evidently, N10 million
is nowhere adequate for the gamut of interventions and programming
essential for robust tobacco control in the country.

This paucity of funds also indirectly facilitates the tobacco industry’s
strategy of utilizing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives,
to market its brand and cultivate harmful relationships with state authorities and strategic institutions in society.

By forming partnerships with government bodies, youth-focused agencies,
and tertiary institutions to undertake ‘‘socially responsible’’
initiatives such as organizing farm fairs and agribusiness trainings for
farmers and young school graduates, tobacco corporations not only
position themselves as benefactors but also subtly promote their brands
and earn public endorsements for it.  This scheming not only sidesteps
Nigeria’s tobacco control laws but also raises conflict of interest
concerns, all of which undermines efforts to regulate tobacco
consumption.

As tobacco corporations tirelessly seek to circumvent national regulations and laws, their substantial financial resources
significantly aid them.

Only last November, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection
Commission (FCCPC) fined British American Tobacco Nigeria Limited (BATN) and its affiliates an unprecedented $110 million for violating national tobacco control regulations, among other laws. The fine was one of the highest in Nigerian quasi-judicial history, with the FCCPC granting them
grace period of a few years to liquidate the penalty. But just days
after the announcement of the fine, BATN issued a statement saying it
had paid up, reflecting the deep pockets of the organisation.

Up against a public enemy as the tobacco industry with deep pockets, the
case for an improved tobacco control funding to fortify public health is
made even more urgent. As the leading preventable cause of deaths and
diseases, tobacco kills half of its regular users. In fact, by the Federal Government’s own records, no fewer than 26,800 persons die in Nigeria each year from tobacco or tobacco-linked diseases. Yet, the ‘‘casualties are not only those who are dead”, to borrow the words of
the late Nigerian poet and playwright, John Pepper Clark.

According to the United States Centres for Disease Control and
Prevention, for every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30
people live with a serious smoking-related illness, including cancer,
heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic
bronchitis. Thus, thousands of other tobacco consumers in Nigeria are
racked with costly, debilitating non-communicable diseases.

Tobacco control is not merely a health issue but also an economic and
environmental concern. The costs associated with treating
tobacco-related diseases, environmental cleanup, and loss of productivity due to illness and premature deaths run into billions of naira annually. A robust tobacco control strategy, backed by substantial
financial resources, can mitigate these burdens, and safeguard the
well-being of Nigerians.

On this note, the federal government must recognize the urgency of
increasing its allocation to the tobacco control fund in the next budget
cycle commensurate with the scale of the problem. This would be a
significant step towards empowering relevant agencies to wage powerful
campaigns and interventions against tobacco use. This investment in
public health will yield dividends in the form of reduced healthcare
costs, a healthier population and workforce, and a cleaner environment
for future generations.

Robert Egbe is the Communication Officer at pan-African not-for-profit,
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA). He can
be reached via regbe@cappaafrica.org

editor

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