As part of deliberate measures to check abuse and prevent smuggling of Tobacco products into the country, Federal Government may increase taxes on tobacco.

According to government, Nigeria is implementing the World Health Organisation, WHO, Framework Convention for Tobacco Control.

Nigeria became a party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on January eighteen twenty-zero-six, as part of the campaign against Tobacco.

Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole said this when he fielded questions from State House correspondents after the meeting of the Federal Executive Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in the Presidential, Villa, Abuja.

Adewole said government was implementing the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control, saying as of Monday, governmet was part of the ECOWAS meeting to look at how do to raise taxes on tobacco,

In his word, it is known that Nigeria has one of the cheapest tobacco, the price of tobacco in Nigeria is probably the cheapest in the world and that will contribute to the abuse.

“So, that convention and recommendations coming from there would really contribute to raising taxes on tobacco and also generating resources that would go into health,’’ he said.

On the reported harvest of organs, Adewole alerted Nigerians on the dangerous trend, saying they should always patronise accredited institutions for their medications.

He reassured that the federal government would continue to upgrade its health facilities with a view to checking unnecessary foreign medical tourism.

On abuse of substances, Adewole said his ministry in collaboration with the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria had embarked on sensitisation campaign to educate the public on the danger of illicit substances being smuggled into the country.

He identified Methadone, Tramadol, Viagra and cough mixture as the most abused substances in the country, saying for example, we have methadone, Tramadol and even Viagra being smuggled into the country.