Terminate Lagos Government Partnerships with Tobacco Industry, CAPPA Urges Sanwolu

1. CAPPA
Corporate
Accountability &
Public
Participation
Africa
20 July 2023
The Governor,
Mr.Babajide Olusola Sanwo Olu,
The Executive Governor of Lagos State,"
Governor's Office
Ikeja.
Lagos House,
Dear Mr. Governor,
AFF
RECEIVED
Ri23/
GOVERNOR
24
LAGOS GOVERNMENT SHOULD TERMINATEPARTNERSHIPS WITH THE
TOBACCÓINDUSTRY
The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) is aPan - African
organisation that is passionately devoted to working with African communities to build
partnerships with them in taking collective social action towards the promotion and defence of
the rights of peoples.
CAPPA wishes to acknowledge your administration's giant strides in the delivery of
democracy dividends to the citizens of Lagos in various sectors, including the phenomenal
growth in the delivery ofsocial infrastructure under a secure climate.
In the health sector, we note and commend your administration's immense investment in the
upgrade of public health facilities, the renovation of public health facilities, and the
commissioning of primary health care centres across the state as part of the move to rejig their
operations and service delivery.
Despite these commendable developments, we have also noticed that different ministries and
departments in Lagos continueto partner with the tobacco industry.Particularly disturbing is
the Lagos Ministry of Agriculture partnership with the British American Tobacco Nigeria
Foundation (BATNF) every October 16 to organise the Lagos Farm Fair.
The tobacco industrycontinues to exploit the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos and its huge youth
population in subtle marketing of tobacco products.In 2010 British American Tobacco Nigeria
(BATN)was called out for organising secret smoking parties, an all-night musical concert in
Lagos where young kids were practically initiated into smoking. Consumption of products of
this industry inflicts diseases and deaths.
Lagos was listed among cities in Nigeria targeted by the tobacco industry in the Big Tobacco,
Tiny Targets 2016Report which indicted BATN and other tobacco companies for targeting
children for the sale of their tobacco products. The report concluded that through deliberate
Visual appeal methods such as placement of tobacco products on counters, stores and kiosks
IA, Adekunle Owobiyi(Close, otl Oladele KadiriClose, Ogba, Lagos, Nigeria.
House 4,Cowries Estate, ott Emmamuel Mbaka Blvd, Lugbe, Abuja, Nigeria.
1234 802 930 t6|4 (Lagos), +234 708 591S879 (Abuja)
www.cappaalrIcaorg collaboration@cappaafic:

2. situated within the vicinities of schools and frequented by kids, minors are exposedtotobacco
products.
The burden of tobacco illnesses on the economy of Lagos informed the lawsuit filed by the
state against three tobacco companies in 2007 seeking 2.7 trillion naira ($22.9 billion) in public
health costs for treating tobacco-induced illnesses.
According tothe World Health Organisation (WHO), an estimated 8million people, mostly in
Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) like Nigeria die annually from tobaccosmoking
induced illnesses. Research by the Center for Studies of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) in
2021 estimates that about 28,876 Nigerians die yearly due to tobacco induced illnesses.
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) which Nigeria has
signed and ratified, urges Parties to ban or restrict all forms oftobacco advertising, promotion,
and sponsorship, including their so-called Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives
through which they partner with public officials.Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTCurges Parties
to protect their public health policies from the commercial and other vested interests of the
tobacco industry.
Mr Governor, in view of the above, a progressive government like the Lagos governiment must
not partner or be seen to be partnering with such an industry.
We urge the Lagos state govern1ment under your watch, to terminate all partnerships and any
other collaboration that can compromise public health and give the impression that the tobacco
business of death and diseases is at home inLagos.
Wealso urge your administration instead, to join hands with the federalgovernment to enforce
the ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorships as mandated by Nigeria's National
Tobacco Control Act 2015 and the National Tobacco Control Regulations 2019, as well as
other policies including the ban on smoking in public places.
Mr.Governor, be assured that we are ready to provide technical support to your government
in upholding the rights of Lagos citizens to the highest quality of health.
Kindly accept the assurances ofour highest regards.
sihaly.
|Akihbode Oluwafemi
Executive Director