Africa-Press – Nigeria. The Center for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) has reiterate its call for a higher tax on cigarettes to mitigate the health burden.
According to the group, no fewer than 29,472 deaths were attributable to smoking while noting that Nigeria spent N526.4 billion to treat tobacco-related ailments in 2019.
The center’s Director of Education and Governance research/Senior Research Fellow, Dr Adedeji Adeniran made this known at a workshop held in Alausa, Lagos.
He mentioned that it would reduce smoking to the barest minimum.
He said: “This burden corresponds to 231,457 Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) per year. If the price of tobacco cigarettes were to be raised by 50 per cent, 23,838 deaths and 602,325 DALYs from smoking-attributable diseases would be averted in 10 years, with subsequent savings on health care costs, and increased tax revenue collection. In Nigeria, the tobacco tax collection does not currently fully cover the direct healthcare costs attributed to smoking.
“Tobacco smoking resulted into: psychological effect and change in physical health; stigmatization; reduced productivity; and fall in standard of living. Overall, the result underscores the need for broader tobacco control policies in Nigeria through more tobacco taxes and other supplementary measures,” he said.
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