The Federal Government on Friday said the tax being paid on a packet of cigarette containing 20 sticks would increase from N20 to N40 this month.

Speaking at an event in Abuja to mark the 2019 World No Tobacco Day, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Abdulaziz Abdullah, also said the National Assembly on May 28 approved the tobacco Regulation Act.

He said based on the Nigeria Global Youth Tobacco Survey conducted in 2008 at sub-national level, 15.4 per cent of pupils between 13 and 15 in the country were tobacco users, with 4.5 million adults found to be consumers of the product.

He said, “I am delighted to inform you that the long awaited Regulations to the Act which the National Tobacco Control Committee drafted and vetted by the ministry and submitted to the National Assembly through the Federal Executive Council has finally been approved by the National Assembly on May 28, 2019 in line with Section 39 of the Act,” he added.

The Technical Director of PAN and Chief Medical Director of Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Prof. Edwin Eseigbe, said while delivering a paper on Friday that smoking has a record of causing respiratory tract infections, decreased lung function, asthma attacks, ear infections and tooth decay.

Source: v.duta.us