As part of renewed efforts to strengthen tobacco control through sustainable domestic financing, the Trailblazer Initiative Nigeria (TBI), in collaboration with the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), has called on the legislative arm of government, the Ministry of Health, and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to forge a strong coalition aimed at establishing and sustaining a dedicated budgetary line for tobacco control in Oyo State.
The Executive Director of TBI, Dare Olagoke-Adaramoye, made the call during the formation and training of a CSO coalition on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Tobacco Control held at the organisation’s office in Iyana Agbala, Iwo Road, Ibadan.
Dr. Adaramoye explained that the initiative is designed to facilitate the formal establishment of a coordinated CSO coalition that will actively engage in the state’s pre-budget process. The coalition, he said, will advocate for the formal inclusion of a dedicated tobacco control budget line in the 2027 budget of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning. It will also push for the passage of a comprehensive tobacco control bill by the Oyo State House of Assembly.
According to him, the urgency of the project is underscored by the growing burden of Non-Communicable Diseases, which account for nearly one-third of all deaths in Nigeria, with tobacco use identified as a leading preventable risk factor for heart disease, cancer, and stroke.
While acknowledging the existence of policy frameworks, Dr. Adaramoye noted that implementation gaps continue to undermine progress. Nigeria’s National Tobacco Control Act and the Oyo State 2016 law regulating smoking in public places provide a legal foundation, he said, but enforcement has been hampered by the absence of a clearly defined tobacco control budget line, weak enforcement of smoke-free regulations, inadequate monitoring and accountability mechanisms, and insufficient funding for public awareness campaigns.
“That is why CSOs are critical in driving accountability and reforms,” he stressed.
He further described tobacco as a nicotine-containing plant consumed in smoked and smokeless forms, warning that nicotine is highly addictive and that tobacco use remains one of the leading preventable causes of death globally.
Providing local data, he revealed that tobacco use prevalence in Oyo State stands at 7.0 percent among men aged 15–49, a statistic he described as alarming due to its implications for youth exposure and long-term public health outcomes. He warned that the increasing burden of NCDs is overstretching health facilities, escalating healthcare costs, reducing workforce productivity, and exposing children and non-smokers to the dangers of second-hand smoke.
Dr. Adaramoye highlighted the severe health consequences of tobacco use, including chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, lung cancer, pregnancy complications, increased risk of heart disease and stroke, weakened immune systems, and heightened addiction risks among young people.
On the economic front, he noted that tobacco-related illnesses result in significant treatment costs and increased out-of-pocket health expenditures for families, further compounding economic hardship.
He emphasized that the newly formed coalition will work strategically to ensure that tobacco control receives the policy priority and financial commitment required to safeguard public health and secure a healthier future for residents of Oyo State.
