Tobacco Control Bill: Groups Demand Recall, Warn Of Risks To Nigerian Youths

Civil society organisations, health advocates and public-interest groups have urged the National Assembly to withdraw the National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, expressing concern that some of its provisions could weaken existing safeguards and increase young Nigerians’ exposure to addictive nicotine products.

The groups, operating under the Nigeria Tobacco Control Community, raised concerns that the proposed legislation could open new avenues for the advertising, promotion, sponsorship, sampling, retail display and online sale of emerging nicotine products such as vapes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches.

Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Akinbode Oluwafemi, made the position known on Monday in Abuja while reading a statement at an event organised by the Nigeria Tobacco Control Community to oppose the amended tobacco control legislation.

The coalition said it was not against efforts to update the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 and its 2019 Regulations to accommodate emerging nicotine products.

However, it maintained that any amendment to the existing framework should reinforce public-health protections rather than create loopholes that could be exploited by tobacco and nicotine companies.

“We have carefully reviewed the consolidated National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill 2025. Our conclusion is that this Bill does not protect Nigerians. It instead weakens existing safeguards and creates a wide-open market for tobacco and nicotine companies to thrive at the expense of public health”, the groups said.

One of the coalition’s major concerns was the proposed provision permitting advertisements for non-combustible nicotine products in adult publications, at points of sale and on online platforms, as well as sponsorship of cultural, social and recreational activities.

The groups also criticised the proposed definition of an adult publication as a publication with at least 50 per cent adult readership, arguing that the threshold would not sufficiently prevent children from being exposed to tobacco and nicotine advertising.

The coalition further rejected provisions allowing online purchases, remote orders and courier delivery of non-combustible nicotine products.

According to the groups, age-verification measures could be bypassed, while regulators may struggle to adequately monitor online sellers, social media platforms, courier firms and delivery riders operating across the country.

The classification of heated tobacco products as non-combustible products also came under criticism.

The coalition argued that the products still contain tobacco and nicotine, regardless of the method used to heat them.

“Heating it instead of burning it does not remove its toxicity or addictiveness,” the coalition said.

The proposed reduction in health-warning requirements for certain novel nicotine products was another issue highlighted by the groups.

They argued that less prominent or weaker health warnings could limit public understanding of the potential dangers associated with the products.

The coalition also objected to a provision that could empower the Minister to exempt certain non-combustible products from provisions of the law on undefined “public interest” grounds.

It warned that such discretionary powers could create room for lobbying and regulatory capture.

Speaking on behalf of the Nigeria Tobacco Alliance, Olawale Makanjuola called on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to intervene and prevent the amendment from becoming law in its current form.

Makanjuola argued that the proposed legislation was at odds with public-health objectives and could reverse years of efforts aimed at controlling tobacco use.

“Some organisations have invested in tobacco control. Public health should be of importance to Nigeria. As members of the Tobacco Alliance, we are firmly against this bill. This is not an investment; this is trying to ruin the future of Nigerians,” he said.

The coalition also questioned the process through which some of the provisions made their way into the consolidated bill.

It recalled that earlier versions presented at a public hearing in November 2024 did not contain some of the concessions currently reflected in the proposed legislation.

The groups consequently demanded the release of committee reports, voting records and stakeholder submissions connected to the preparation of the consolidated bill.

Despite its opposition to several provisions, the coalition acknowledged some aspects of the proposed amendment that it considered positive, including the extension of smoke-free zones to within 30 metres of schools and health facilities.

It, however, maintained that such measures were insufficient to compensate for what it described as broader weaknesses in the bill.

The Nigeria Tobacco Control Community therefore called on the National Assembly to recall the proposed legislation and subject it to a transparent review focused on protecting public health.

It also asked the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to state its position on the bill and urged President Bola Tinubu to refuse assent if the legislation reaches his desk in its current form.

Nigeria’s tobacco-control regime is currently based on the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 and its 2019 Regulations. The emergence and growing availability of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches have, however, intensified calls for clearer regulation of the products.