Marking World No Tobacco Day, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC) has advocated strict taxation on tobacco products as a measure towards protecting children from the harmful influences of the tobacco industry.
CISLAC made the call at a press conference in Kano to mark the 2024 ‘World No Tobacco Day’ with the theme, “Protecting Children from Tobacco Industry Interference.”
The Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, emphasised the organisation’s commitment to safeguarding the young people from the consequences of tobacco use.
He highlighted the group’s tobacco tax advocacy project, which aims to increase public awareness about the industry’s tactics to lure teenagers into addiction.
“We cannot let the tobacco industry continue harming the health of our vulnerable children,” Rafsanjani declared while urging the government to implement more rigorous barriers between the children and tobacco products.
“We call on government through its relevant authorities to strengthen tobacco control measures for the protection of children from the deadly effects of tobacco consumption.
“These measures must clearly include ban on tobacco advertisement, promotion and sponsorship; enforced ban on misleading packaging and strict adherence to enforcement of graphic health warnings on all cigarette packs, as well as increased taxes on tobacco products to reduce affordability among children.
“Controlling tobacco use and mitigating tobacco industry interference requires a multifaceted approach including comprehensive policies, effective enforcement and public education through enlightenment campaigns, sensitisation, and awareness creation,” Rafsanjani said.
CISLAC’s Programme Lead, Mr. Solomon referenced the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendation that 70% of the price of tobacco products should be tax-based.
“The objective is to curtail the affordability of tobacco among youths,” Solomon explained.
He also revealed that CISLAC has established partnerships with other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs) working on tobacco control and has trained security operatives on ways to combat the challenge.