Protecting and Activating Communities Against Tobacco (PACT), Lagos hub, has called for increased funding to enhance the enforcement of tobacco control laws and public awareness campaigns in Nigeria.
The PACT project lead, George Adjete, said the federal government had recently raised the National Tobacco Control Fund from N4.7 million to N10 million in the 2024 budget.
However, he emphasized that this amount remains insufficient to tackle the widespread challenges of tobacco use, particularly in Lagos State.
He decried the infiltration of the tobacco industry, citing examples such as online advertising and the promotion of flavored tobacco products like shisha, which are misleadingly marketed as less harmful alternatives, adding that children are frequently exposed to these products in retail environments, increasing the risk of early addiction.
According to the World Health Organization, tobacco use is responsible for over 29,000 preventable deaths annually in Nigeria. Additionally, the 2012 Global Adult Tobacco Survey reported that approximately 4.5 million Nigerians aged 15 and older use tobacco products. Adjete urged governments at all levels to prioritize funding for tobacco control programs, while calling on the federal government to increase budget allocations further.
Speaking on the organization’s effort in Lagos, the project lead disclosed that PACT with the Lagos Youth Parliament and Lagos Kick Against Drug Abuse, organised an advocacy march to the Lagos state Secretariat, last week, urging the state government to improve the enforcement of smoke-free laws.
“The Lagos state government has domesticated the National Tobacco Control Act through the Lagos No Smoking Law, 2014, which prohibits smoking in public places, including schools, hospitals, and public transport. Despite this, enforcement remains weak, and awareness levels are still low. Sadly, many public spaces in Lagos still permit smoking, while others allow the use of shisha, exposing non-smokers to harmful secondhand smoke, which contains over 7,000 chemicals, including 70 known carcinogens. The dangers are clear, and without increased funding and enforcement, public health will continue to suffer,” he lamented.
The advocacy march coincided with the Lagos state governor’s presentation of the 2025 budget, highlighting the urgent need to integrate tobacco control measures into the state’s fiscal priorities. Adjete averred that sufficient resources are essential for awareness campaigns, enforcement, and collaboration among key agencies, such as the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the National Orientation Agency.
In her reaction, the permanent secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Toyin Oke-Osanyintolu, commended youth advocates for their commitment to tobacco control awareness during an advocacy march at the Lagos state Secretariat, Alausa.
Receiving the advocates at the entrance of the ministry, Oke-Osanyintolu praised the initiative as a vital step toward achieving increased funding for tobacco control measures. “I don’t want you to see less funding as a challenge. You start small and grow big. You start to make the noise a bit until the noise is so definite that people in power have no choice but to listen,” she said.
She emphasized the importance of persistence, noting that efforts like the advocacy march would compel decision-makers to act. “These little things that you are doing are what is going to make the people responsible for funding sit up and say, ‘If these young ones have taken the initiative to ensure that society is healthier, then we must respond.”
Oke-Osanyintolu encouraged the youths to view challenges as opportunities for impact, commending their resolve to create a healthier society for future generations. “Challenges are supposed to be seen as a way of making a difference, and that is what you are doing, and I commend you for that,” she added.
