By Kareem Waris
The Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, and other stakeholders have called on the Federal Government to deepen the implementation, enforcement and accountability of tobacco taxation to reduce consumption, protect public health and boost government revenue.
The call was made yesterday at the Second National Tobacco Tax Summit in Abuja, organised by CISLAC, where its Executive Director, Auwal Rafsanjani, warned that higher tobacco taxes would have limited impact without effective enforcement, transparent revenue collection and sanctions for violations.
Rafsanjani said tobacco taxation should be treated not merely as a revenue-generating measure but as a public health and fiscal justice instrument capable of discouraging tobacco consumption while generating resources for essential public services.
He said evidence had shown that making tobacco products less affordable could reduce consumption, while effective tax administration could improve government revenue.
However, he cautioned that weak enforcement, poor transparency and vested interests could undermine the benefits of higher tobacco taxes.
“Nigeria therefore needs more than higher taxes. We need effective administration, transparent revenue collection, strong monitoring, tougher enforcement and credible sanctions against tax evasion, illicit trade, under-declaration and other abuses,” he said.
The CISLAC boss also demanded greater accountability in the administration of tobacco taxes, saying Nigerians should be able to track how tobacco taxes were designed, the revenue generated, industry compliance and sanctions imposed for violations.
He called for stronger safeguards against undue industry influence, stressing that public health policies should not be compromised by commercial interests.
Rafsanjani said Nigeria had made progress in tobacco tax policy since the first National Tobacco Tax Summit in 2025, but significant gaps remained in implementation, enforcement and regulation.
He urged the government to assess whether tobacco products were becoming sufficiently less affordable, whether the tax structure reflected prevailing economic realities and whether emerging tobacco and nicotine products were adequately taxed and regulated.
According to him, Nigeria, as Africa’s most populous country and one of its largest economies, should provide stronger leadership on tobacco taxation and control across West Africa.
He also called for greater coordination among government institutions, lawmakers, regulators, civil society organisations, researchers, development partners, the media and communities, arguing that tobacco control should not be left to the health sector alone.
Rafsanjani said CISLAC would continue to advocate accountable fiscal governance, stronger tobacco taxation, transparent revenue administration and policies that prioritise public health.
Meanwhile, Assistant Director, Tax Policy Department, Federal Ministry of Finance, Mrs Sarah Bwala Usman, said the Federal Government had continued to strengthen tobacco taxation as part of its fiscal and public health strategy.
Usman said Nigeria introduced a mixed excise tax system on tobacco products in 2018, in line with global best practices and recommendations under Article 6 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
She said the recently announced tobacco tax regime covering 2026 to 2028, with progressive increases in specific excise tax rates, represented another step towards strengthening tobacco control and domestic revenue mobilisation.
According to her, tobacco taxation remained an important policy instrument for discouraging harmful consumption, protecting public health, generating sustainable revenue and improving the efficiency of the tax system.
She said effective tobacco tax policies required continuous consultation, empirical evidence and collaboration among government agencies and other stakeholders.
Usman expressed the expectation that discussions at the summit would provide useful insights into the new tax regime and its implications for tobacco control, government revenue, industry operations and the wider economy.
She reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to fiscal policies that balance revenue mobilisation, public health considerations and the need for a predictable and transparent fiscal environment.
