Mohammed Shosanya
Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC),has implored President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to impose consumption tax on tobacco to address public health issues in Nigeria.
Speaking with newsmen in Kano at end of one day media round table on Taxation and Tobacco, the executive Director, CISLAC, Auwalu Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani urged the President to as a matter of urgency put the machinery running to implement effective tobacco tax regimes in Nigeria.
He was represented at the event by the Senior Programme Officer,CISLAC,Solomon Adoga.
He disclosed that World Bank Development Update on Nigeria has it that Nigeria could generate more than N600 billion annually by increasing excise duties on tobacco and alcohol.
He noted that “Nigeria is yet to achieve 6% of total allocation to health and thereby contributing little to improve the state of health care in the country.
“Amidst the poor state of health care in the country, the prevalence of consumption of harmful products such as tobacco continues to further stretch the already overwhelmed facilities in the country and calls for more concerted efforts on the part of government to control the use of such products.”
He lamented that “Nigeria remains one of the leading tobacco markets in Africa, with its young and growing population a constant attraction to the tobacco industry. ”
He said:”Government must move to protect its young people and children by ensuring it does not succumb to the interference tactics of the tobacco industry that only aims to undermine effective tobacco control in the country”.