Nigeria launches initiative to boost tobacco control

The Federal Government, in collaboration with Development Gateway (DG), has developed the Tobacco Control Data Initiative (TCDI) website as a “one-stop-shop” that would allow stakeholders and the public to access relevant and up-to-date information to advance tobacco control legislation in Nigeria.

In a statement, yesterday, in Abuja, DG said the move was in response to the increased use of tobacco products in the country and the hazards they pose to Nigerians, especially young people.

It noted that TCDI has “become necessary due to the staggering statistic about tobacco use in Nigeria.”

The statement reads in part: “At least 16,100 Nigerians die yearly because of illnesses linked to tobacco use. 3.2 million Nigerians, between the ages 15 and 49, used tobacco in 2018, and about 200,000 tobacco users are women, according to the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS, 2018). While tobacco consumption globally is decreasing, by 2030, the number of smokers in Africa is anticipated to rise by nearly 40 per cent from 2010 levels.

“This is the largest expected increase in the world, particularly alarming when juxtaposed with the fact that Nigeria is a tobacco production hub, and was the third-largest exporter of cigarettes in 2018 (Africa’s Tobacco Epidemic, Tobacco Tactics, 2020).”

The organisation expressed the hope that TCDI would fill the data gap in tobacco control by providing legislators and decision-makers with accurate statistics for better enlightenment of Nigerians on health policies.

“Certain legislative policies are proven to reduce the use of tobacco products. Through their research, the TCDI team identified common themes in the data landscape. These relate to concerns about data accuracy, comparability, timeliness and accessibility,” it added.

DG said the website would make use of primary and secondary data to present tobacco control information in a user-friendly format with graphs, facts and success stories.