Although its consumption is legal, tobacco kills many of its users when used exactly as intended by its manufacturers. This statement affirms the popular catchphrase that ‘smokers are liable to die young’. The World Health Organisation Global Report on Trends in Tobacco Smoking 2000-2025 noted that tobacco use is currently responsible for the death of…

The Environment Rights Action, Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has cautioned that no fewer than eight million Nigerians may die from smoking tobacco products by the year 2020.

Stakeholders in the manufacturing sector have called on the Federal Government to reverse the proposed upward review of the excise duty rates on alcoholic beverages and tobacco from June 4, 2018.They submitted that it was with deep regret that this is happening at a time manufacturers in the industry...

Sir, Reading the piece, BBC, please give us a tobacco documentary! by one Muyiwa Kayode in The Guardian of Tuesday, May 8, 2018 column, Brand Nation, was a very sore experience for anyone with critical thinking skills. This was largely due to the fact that the writer in his angst against the British Broadcasting Corporation…

BBC and its undercover reporters are now the superstars of investigative journalism in Nigeria. Following their documentary on the widespread abuse of codeine syrup in the country, our health ministry and other government agencies reacted within 48 hours and without thinking, announced a rash of emergency measures that are certainly....

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved an amendment to the excise duty rates for alcoholic beverages and tobacco with effect from Monday, June 4, 2018. He has also granted a grace period of 90 days to all manufacturers before the commencement of the new excise duty regime. There is however no increase in excise duty of…

Global health experts and ambassadors have condemned tobacco industry’s attempt to indulge more people, especially the young and vulnerable in Africa, to their products, which have been known to cause terminal diseases over the years.

Civil society groups under the auspices of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) and National Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA) have urged the Federal Government to urgently enforce the National Tobacco Control (NTC) Act. The groups expressed worries that there was yet no concrete action to show that the Federal Ministry of Health was…

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has called on the Federal Ministry of Finance to immediately begin a review of its current tax regime to reflect more proactive and progressive levying system on tobacco companies.

Another scheme that can be used to support effective tobacco regulation is compliance promotion. Sadly, very little seems to have been achieved in this area since the enactment of the law.

If the government is committed to addressing the concerns about production and marketing of tobacco products in the country, it should implement the National Tobacco Control Act (NTCA 2015), a group has said.

To prevent millions of people falling ill and dying from tobacco-related disease, several attempts have been made in Nigeria to stop the sales, marketing and consumption of tobacco products.