The Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance on Tuesday applauded the Federal Government’s N10m allocation for tobacco control funding in the 2024 budget, saying it shows President Bola Tinubu’s administration is alive to its responsibilities.
The group, which comprises health professionals and Civil Society Organisations, however warned that with Nigeria’s frail health system and the out-of-pocket spending suffered by many patients, there is a need to prioritise financing and enforcement control measures to ensure diseases associated with tobacco products are prevented.
The submission was made at a press conference held on Tuesday in Abuja.
The consumption of tobacco related products is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases such as respiratory illness, cardiovascular disorder and cancer.
This explains why the Federal Government over the years have always allocated funds as part of measures for its tobacco consumption control.
Unlile in the 2023 budget where N4.7m was earmarked, the allocation has been increased to N10m this year in line with the National Tobacco Control Act that stipulates that funds allocated for tobacco control in the national budget are to be remitted to the fund account for utilization.
Addressing journalists, NTCA Chairman, Olufemi Akinbode, further challenged the government to tell Nigerians how many tobacco companies are genuinely paying for their licenses in the country.
He said, “We commend the N10m allocation for local tobacco control efforts in the 2024 national budget as a slight improvement compared to the N4.7m allocated in the 2023 national budget. However, it must be emphasized that this amount still falls below expectations, especially because we know that while it looks like the figure has gone up, there is almost no difference from last year’s allocation when Nigeria’s hyperinflation is considered.
“Another critical concern is whether the monies previously budgeted were released into the fund account. It is imperative to remind the FG that the National Tobacco Control Act stipulates that funds allocated for tobacco control in the national budget or from other sources are to be remitted to the fund account for utilization.
“We strongly desire to see that this is complied with. For this reason we call on the Federal Ministry of Health to provide an update on the status of the Tobacco Control Fund, specifically detailing the current balance, sources of the monies in the Fund and details of previous spending from the fund.
“Furthermore, we raise the concern on whether all tobacco companies have been fulfilling their obligation of paying for operating licenses after gaining approval to operate in Nigeria. Finally, it is time for the Federal Government of Nigeria to consider earmarking tobacco tax as a dedicated source for financing tobacco control enforcement efforts in the country.”
Another expert at the event, Chibuike Nwokorie, warned of dire consequence if successive government fails to take tobacco control funding in the country seriously.
Credit Gist New Today News in Newspaper Nigeria Headlines