Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has raised concerns over Nigeria’s newly approved 2026 Fiscal Policy Measures, describing the country’s revised tobacco tax framework as inadequate for public health protection and inconsistent with regional and global health commitments.
According to a press release signed Friday by the Executive Director, CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa, Rafsanjani, the Federal Government’s fiscal policy circular, which takes effect from 1 April 2026, introduces revised excise duties on tobacco products, non-alcoholic beverages, and a Green Tax Surcharge.
The statement disclosed that the tobacco tax structure establishes a three-year regime (2026–2028), maintaining a 30% ad-valorem excise duty while adding only minimal annual specific tax increments of N1.00.
CISLAC, a leading policy advocacy group, argued that the adjustments were insufficient to reduce tobacco consumption or align with Nigeria’s obligations under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, WHO FCTC.
According to CISLAC, the proposed increases fail to match Nigeria’s inflation rate, effectively weakening the impact of tobacco taxation as a deterrent.
The group noted that while cigarette stick taxes increased marginally from previous levels, inflation—currently above 15%—has outpaced the tax adjustments, making tobacco products relatively more affordable.
The organization also highlighted that Nigeria remains significantly below the West African regional benchmark recommended by the ECOWAS, which advocates a specific excise tax equivalent to about 0.40 USD per pack of cigarettes.
CISLAC warned that even by 2028, Nigeria would only achieve about 30% of the recommended threshold.
CISLAC Executive Director, said the policy disproportionately benefits the tobacco industry while undermining public health goals.
“The regime effectively creates a fiscal environment that sustains affordability of tobacco products, increases consumption risk among young people, and reduces the government’s ability to mobilize meaningful health revenue,” he stated.
The group further argued that the policy contradicts broader fiscal reforms aimed at increasing government revenue, as well as earlier government commitments to use taxation as a tool for reducing consumption of harmful products and financing healthcare.
CISLAC urged the Federal Government to urgently: Align tobacco taxes with the ECOWAS minimum benchmark; Strengthen protections against tobacco industry interference in policy-making; Expand stakeholder participation in tax policy design; Use tobacco taxation as a core public health and revenue tool and Introduce a stronger, inflation-adjusted excise system consistent with WHO FCTC Article 6 guidelines.
The group warned that failure to strengthen tobacco taxation would deepen health risks, worsen inequality, and undermine Nigeria’s international public health obligations under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
CISLAC concluded that tobacco taxation must be treated not only as a fiscal instrument, but as a critical public health intervention capable of reducing preventable disease and death across the country.