Michael Abiodun
Cigarette sales in most African countries are going up all the time. But smoking rates are much lower than in high-income countries. Because of these comparatively lower smoking prevalence rates – combined with the urgent need to address infectious diseases – tobacco control policies have largely not been prioritised.
Nigeria is a case in point. Preventing smoking rates from increasing requires a proactive response, including strong excise taxation policy change. The country has been slow to act. Last year it increased tobacco excise tax rates. But the increase was small and still falls well below the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended excise tax burden of 70% – that’s the percentage that the excise tax should make up of the average retail price.
Sufficiently increasing tobacco excise tax in Nigeria is crucial to bring about meaningful change. But to how much? To answer this question the Centre for the study of the Economies of Africa, with our support at the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Knowledge Hub on Tobacco Taxation, used a tobacco excise tax simulation model to evaluate the impact of various changes in the tobacco excise tax structure on government revenue and smoking prevalence.
The initial results show that targeting an excise tax burden of 75% – taking into account different economic growth rates and industry pricing response – would result in an approximately 20% drop in cigarette consumption. As tobacco is an addictive substance, consumers will continue to spend on cigarettes, but less so. The simulation also showed that once the higher tax burden is reached, government revenue from tobacco excise taxes would increase by more than 100%.
It’s reasonable to assume that this level of change would need to be phased in over a couple of years. For instance, in 1994 South Africa announced that it wanted to reach an excise tax burden of 50% by the late 1990s. This resulted in more than 100% increase in government revenue and 30% drop in aggregate smoking rates in 10 years.
Nigeria’s challenges
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is the first global health treaty created to address the tobacco epidemic and the burden of death and disease associated with it. One of the convention’s key articles to reduce demand is the use of excise taxation on tobacco products. But it remains underused in most African countries.
Nigeria ratified the convention in 2005, but only enacted comprehensive tobacco control policies in 2015 with the National Tobacco Control Act, after years of strong industry opposition. Researchers have emphasised the role of civil society organisations in Nigeria in culminating this change.
But the act is limited in the provisions it makes for the use of price and tax measures. These are brief and not explicit.
Last year Nigeria increased the excise tax on cigarettes. Although a step in the right direction, the tax change fell short of bringing meaningful change: it fell way below the excise tax burden of 70% recommended by the WHO.
The Nigerian Tobacco Control Alliance – a tobacco control advocacy group consisting of several civil society organisations – argues that, even after the increase, the tobacco excise taxes are still too low. And it’s called for an increase in rates that amount to the WHO’s recommendation.
Nigeria should also consider a proposal put forward in the International Monetary Fund country report. It has suggested a move from ad-valorem tax (levied in proportion to the estimated value of goods) to specific excise taxes (levied on the quantity of goods). This, it argues, is necessary to improve tax administration and revenue collection. It also suggests that real tobacco excise taxes be more than doubled over a three-year period.
Why Nigeria matters
A significant tax change in Nigeria is not only important for the health of Nigerians. It’s important for the continent because Nigeria is politically and economically important in Africa – and a strategically important policy trendsetter within the West African region.
It’s also been a magnet for investment by tobacco companies. Both British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco International have production facilities in Nigeria. The British American Tobacco facility in Nigeria is the regional headquarters.
The importance of Nigeria strengthening its tobacco excise tax policy is further increased by its strategic position within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a West African regional economic bloc.
In December 2017 the ECOWAS Council of Ministries adopted a new tobacco tax directive. It requires members to apply a minimum ad valorem tax of 50% on the factory price as well as specific tax on clearly defined quantities of tobacco products.
The next step for this directive is country-level implementation, of which Nigeria could set an example for the region.
What’s next
So what’s next? To bring about meaningful change, it’s crucial that tobacco excise tax be increased even further in Nigeria, something more in line with the levels proposed by the International Monetary Fund and the Centre for the study of the Economies of Africa.
Author: Laura Rossouw Senior Research Officer, Economics of Tobacco Control Project, University of Cape Town
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From the video, Pastor Oritsejafor could be heard asking members of the Morris Cerullo church to give $5000 so he can give them a spiritual mantle that would make them not miss God.
Reacting to the video on IG, Freeze wrote;
Did God tell you that he was hungry? If not, please stop making it look like the Lord of Heavens armies is broke or going through a recession!
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Which god are you trying to attract with money? The god of 2 Cor 4:4?
An IG user, Jygga Collins, who initially shared the video wrote
Nigerian Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor was in Morris Cerullo’s church in America recently, looking for 90 people to give 5000USD each (450,000USD) for a mantle so they do not miss God. My question is, those that don’t have 5000USD to give, are they going to miss GOD? –
These charlatans have turned Yahweh into a God that needs money(mammon). Is it not written in 1 Peter 1:18 that we were redeemed without perishable things such as silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ?? “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” –
Why then do people need to pay 5000USD so they don’t miss God???
I guess in America where poverty level is not has high as Nigeria and health care is top notch the only thing to sell to the gullible believers is Salvation. –
I don’t believe God has sent you to collect peoples money so they don’t miss HIM, and like you said in the earlier parts of this video you’re a crazy man Pastor Ayo. JC
Watch video below;
"Greatness is not in Aso Rock but PMB took greatness there. You weren't great because you are President, you're President because you're great. Just like Awo, Zik, Ahmadu Bello, Aminu Kano, Uncle Bola Ige, Mko, they were great without being President. OBASANJO had been President three times, yet, he is still in desperate search for greatness....
He didn't write Buhari until Buhari honored MKO and June 12. He saw that as wickedness to his person. He said to himself "How can another man from the SW be greater than me?"...but the truth is even in death AWOLOWO and ABIOLA are by far greater than OBASANJO even if he lives for the next one thousand years....
OBASANJO has no conscience. He is the only President that disobeyed the Judgement of the SUPREME COURT on LAGOS Allocation. But today, he said he's fighting for the judiciary. What is he smoking.
From 1999 to 2007, Obasanjo didn't want to hear June 12 or ABIOLA. He never supported JUNE 12! And within 3 years of PMB Government, he recognized June 12, apologized to the Abiola Family, Yorubas, Nigerians for the annulment of June 12 and death of MKO. He went ahead to honor him and declared June 12 as Democracy Day.....Now tell me, who is a Democrat between OBASANJO and BUHARI?
According to Obasanjo, Abiola was not the messiah, Abacha was terrible, Yaradua was ineffective, Jonathan was worse, Buhari is awful & Atiku he once attacked viciously but now supporting is untrustworthy & a thief".
credit link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/357357637766270/permalink/1265752856926739/
Husband to popular Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele has explained why he got married to the actress.
JJC Skillz said he approached Akindele in 2012 after he had a dream that he would get married to the actress.
According to him, though things did not work out between them in 2012, he followed his dream and 4-years later, in 2016, he got married to Akindele in August.
JJC further urged Nigerians to pay attention to their dreams because they could be telling you things you need to know.
He wrote: “I have to testify. God is great. I had a dream one night around Christmas 2012 that I will be married to Funke Aakindele and believing in the mighty God I trust, I approached and she didn’t believe me.
“A week of romance ended, we broke up and I wrote a song to send a message of what is to come.
“My God has never lied or lead me astray. A year later she had a calling to find me and so the story continues. The Master architect is at work.”
Recall that the couple who got married in 2016 recently welcomed a set of twin.
The Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Dino Melaye, has denied being part of the lawmakers that booed President Muhammadu Buhari, during the 2019 budget presentation before a joint session of the National Assembly on December 19, 2018.
Since the incident, there have been reports in the social media that the booing was led by the Kogi Senator.
But Melaye, in his first reaction to the social media reports, said in a statement by his media aide, Gideon Ayodele, on Saturday evening that those that kept calling his name on the incident lied against him.
“The attention of Senator Dino Melaye has been drawn to a malicious reference to his person on the social media as one of the lawmakers who booed President Muhammadu Buhari during his 2019 Budget presentation before a joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday, December 19, 2018.
“Before now, he had refused to refute the mischievous social media fabrication for what it is – a cheap lie – Senator Dino Melaye was not in the National Assembly that day.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Distinguished Senator Dino Melaye was absent at the televised 2019 Budget Presentation session and hereby challenges anyone with contrary proof to come forward with such.
“By his nature, Distinguished Senator Dino Melaye is not one who speaks and cannot defend his action at the same time. Whatever he says or does, he stands by his actions no matter whose ox is gored,” he said.
Melaye’s denial comes 24 hours after he surrendered himself to the police, following a one-week siege on his Maitama residence, over an alleged case of culpable homicide, an allegation he denied.
Nigerian’s Second Republic President, Alhaji Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, GCFR, is dead.
Shagari reportedly died at the National Hospital Abuja on Friday after a brief illness.
He died at the age of 93.
His demise was announced on twitter by his grandson, Bello Shagari.
Bello wrote, ”I regret announcing the death of my grandfather, H.E Alhaji Shehu Shagari, who died right now after brief illness at the National hospital, Abuja.”
In what is now beginning to look like a season-long episode from a Nollywood blockbuster, the on-going feud between the camp of Tolulope Basirat Gabah,aka “Abike Jagaban” and her erstwhile “second-in-command Mrs. Omowonuola Oyebode is now turning nastier than ever thought as unconfirmed reports currently “trending” in the UK at the moment say embittered Abike has vowed to deal with Omowonuola over the rants in her widely-viewed video in which she revealed the shocking secrets and dirty plans of Abike’s gang.
Recall that the said video which was released about a week ago and which shocked the whole of the UK because of the earth-shaking revelations therein is now generating a lot of controversy in the camp of Abike and same has completely thrown the main character off-balance as she’s said to be panicking around.
It must be reported that the video clip where Omowonuola confessed contains some vital information which is capable of sending Abike behind bars.At the last count,the video which spontaneously sent the social media into an overdrive has been watched by Nigerians at home and in the diaspora over a million times.We gathered that the video which is now giving Abike sleepless nights might actually be a vital evidence in the court of law if Mrs. Folashade Olatunji makes good her threat to seek redress through legal means over the alleged kidnapping attempt on her aged murder by Hon. Mrs. Tolulope Basirat Gabah popularly known as “Ajike Jagaban”.
According to feelers making the rounds,Abike is said to be so gutted with the way Omowonuola who’s now a self-confessed born again xtian revealed the secrets they shared and the plans they hatched together in private that she’s allegedly vowed to deal with ‘Wonuola by any means necessary. According to what we gathered from the streets of London, Manchester, Dublin and other places in “Queensland” and beyond, Abike is allegedly planning to destroy Omowonuola’s mum’s gas station in Nigeria in other to take her pound of flesh.
Moreover, we hear Abike is at the moment weighing up her options about this unfolding saga which is fast turning against her.As she didn’t expect Omowonuola to make a detour the way she did,but as a fighter of note,Abike we gathered is now faced with the options of devising other means of fighting her battle alone or currying the favour of other well-meaning people to fight back.
City News also gathered that pretty Omowonuola who’s now a thorn in the flesh of Abike has been very kind to the latter as she used to support her financially when the going was good between the duo and this may be another reason why Abike is fighting dirty; knowing fully well that life without Omowonuola with her large-heartedness is never going to be easy.
We also have it on good authority that Abike it was who first tore into Esabod after the poster of the untimely death of Wonu’s child was posted on Esabod’s FB page (which Abike latched unto to slander Esabod) – it’s a story for another day though but your ever-reliable news portal is still garnering more video evidences for this story which will be published sooner than later.
BACK TO THE STORY OF THE HOUR…
According to our source, Omowonuola and her family are also not keeping sealed lips over the development as they have issued a strong warning through social media to her ex-boss that she’s going to be held responsible should anything happen to her family in Nigeria.
On her own part, we gathered Folashade Olatunji is still spitting fire and venom in her bid to redeem her battered image from the numerous scandalous and sickening posts which Abike and her gang have allegedly released over time to bring her person into disrepute ; and she’s more than ready to see to the end of this long saga that’s keeping everyone on the edge of their seats.
Meanwhile, our team couldn’t reach Esabod, Abike and Folashade to get their side of this unfolding drama which has being dubbed by followers as “Jagaban vs Shade season 2”. We gathered Esabod is currently on holiday at the other side of Europe whilst Abike is currently talking to a legal luminary in London who is a Queens Counsel (lol) in order to prepare for the long legal battle which is now looming large. None of the trio could be reached for further details.
credit link: http://thepublisherngr.com/2017/10/08/omowonuolas-true-confession-abike-jagaban-allegedly-plans-to-deal-ruthlessly-with-wonus-family-in-nigeria/
