By Abbas Bamalli
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre CISLAC has called for an increase in tobacco tax to reduce deaths from cancer and other tobacco-related illnesses.
CISLAC’s Executive Director, Mr Auwal Rafsanjani, made the appeal during a capacity building workshop for Civil Society Organisations in Katsina on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the one-day workshop focused on tobacco taxation and gender mainstreaming for various CSOs across the state.
Represented by the centre’s Senior Finance Officer, Muhammad Murtala, Rafsanjani urged the Federal Government to curb tobacco use by raising taxes.
He stated that increasing tobacco tax is essential to cutting tobacco-related deaths and limiting access to tobacco products in Nigerian markets.
He noted that proper tobacco tax policies would enhance public health, support the economy, and discourage use, particularly among women and young people.
In his presentation titled ‘Advocacy for Gender Inclusive and Tobacco Tax Policies’, CISLAC’s Senior Programme Officer, Mr Solomon Adoga, highlighted the rising tobacco-related deaths.
Adoga said a gender responsive tobacco tax policy could lower consumption and reduce disease burden among Nigerian women.
He emphasised the need for gender inclusiveness in promoting strong and effective policy enforcement across the country.
“Like other tobacco control measures, a gender responsive tax policy aims to reduce use and the health consequences for women,” he explained.
He added that usage patterns and responses to tax increases differ between men and women, requiring tailored approaches.
“Nonetheless, taxation and other tobacco control strategies are fundamentally gender neutral,” Adoga said.
Earlier, the state Chairman of the CSO coalition, AbdurRahman Abdullahi, urged members to increase advocacy to relevant government bodies.
He praised CISLAC for the workshop, expressing confidence that it would benefit participants and improve national health outcomes.
NAN
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