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The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA) have asked the Federal Government and states to enact strong and effective laws to check excessive tobacco intake in the country.
They said that an effective tax system could bring down tobacco consumption and its dire effect.
At a one-day workshop on Tobacco Taxation in Calabar, Cross River State, at the weekend with the theme: Supporting Effective Tobacco Control Through Responsive Tax System, the groups said that manufacturers of cigarettes and other tobacco byproducts had entrenched connections and tactics where they continually penetrate corridors of power to block any initiatives to ban or tax tobacco smoking.
They argued that without strong laws, the health of members of the public would continue to be in serious danger as even passive smokers, that is those who only inhale the smokes, are also exposed to similar grave dangers and millions have died.
Director, CISLAC, Okey Adesina, said that there had been some attempts by the authorities to institute laws like “the National Tobacco Law 2015 that was well crafted but how another clause that before any aspect of it is implemented the National Assembly must write back, asking for permission, was most worrisome and frightening.”
Also, Project Manager, CISLAC, Mr. Okeke Anya, disclosed that there was another law, which the National Assembly had passed for the President’s assent but how it managed to disappear from the President’s office was again a thing of much concern.
They, therefore, urged states and Federal Government to enact and enforce laws on tobacco smoking to help stem the tide of increased grave effects of tobacco, which they analysed, contains array of dangerous chemicals.
They also called for strategies for effective implementation of tobacco taxation regime, curbing tobacco industry interference as the stakeholders seem to be a powerful cabal in Nigeria and that smokers themselves should be guided and taxed.
In the same vein, representative of Tax Justice Network Africa, Peter Unekwu-Ojo, also called for the formulation of heavy taxes against tobacco and the need for government to implement existing laws to check reckless consumption of tobacco.
