CAPPA urges FG, states to address tobacco use, others

By : Innocent Anoruo

Date: 6 February 2024 4:32am WAT

A picture taken on September 29, 2017 shows a close up shot of a man smoking a cigarette in Kuwait City. On October 1, 2017, the United Arab Emirates will double the price of tobacco and increase soft drink prices by 50 percent, ahead of a more general tax on goods and services on January 1 next year. It is but one of the six Gulf Cooperation Council states -- along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar -- to introduce the five-percent VAT next year as they seek to redress their economies. / AFP PHOTO / Yasser Al-Zayyat

Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has urged governments in Nigeria to address tobacco use and the excessive consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) and salt, which are high-risk factors behind cancer.

In commemoration of World Cancer Day, yesterday, CAPPA noted an upsurge in cancer cases recorded in Nigeria in recent times alongside other non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

According to the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, Nigeria records over 120,000 new cases of cancer yearly, while the National Cancer Prevention and Control Plan (2018-2022) estimates that Nigerians spend N12 billion yearly on cancer treatment.

CAPPA described tobacco use as a leading cause of cancer and cancer-related deaths.

The Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, advised the government to tackle the problem from its roots, adding that better monitoring and regulation of tobacco, SSBs and salt consumption, among other measures, was a great place to start.

He said: “The government cannot tackle rising cases of cancer without addressing the risk factors holistically.

These include taking concrete actions against tobacco use, the unhealthy consumption of salts, sugar-sweetened beverages and other unhealthy dietary trends. “

The group also urged the government to improve public health by enforcing tobacco control measures as provided in the National Tobacco Control Act, 2015 and the Nigeria Tobacco Control Regulations, 2019. This includes prohibiting the unnecessary depiction of smoking in movies, as well as the effective implementation of graphic health warnings alongside the penalisation of violators of tobacco control regulations.

For SSBs, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) advocated an “increment of the SSB tax from N10 to N50 in the 2024 Finance Act, and for the government to work with public health stakeholders to develop a comprehensive legislative framework.

CAPPA also urged the government to expedite the development of policy guidelines for salt reduction targets. These, Oluwafemi added, must include “mandatory limits of salt content in processed and packaged foods.”