Proposed tobacco bill could expose Nigerian youths to nicotine, groups warn

A coalition of civil society organizations, health advocates, and public-interest groups in Nigeria has urged the immediate recall of the National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill 2025. They warn that certain provisions within the bill could undermine current safeguards, thereby exposing Nigerian youths to addictive nicotine products. The groups, operating under the Nigeria Tobacco Control Community, expressed concern that the bill might create new avenues for the advertising, promotion, sponsorship, sampling, retail display, and online sales of emerging products such as vapes, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches.

Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), read a statement on behalf of the coalition in Abuja. He emphasized that while the groups support updating the National Tobacco Control Act of 2015 and its 2019 Regulations to address new products, any amendment must prioritize strengthening public health protections. "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 stated.

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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.

Key concerns raised by the coalition include proposed changes that would permit the advertising of non-combustible products in adult publications, at points of sale, and on online platforms, as well as sponsorship of various events. They specifically challenged the proposed definition of an adult publication, arguing that a threshold of at least 50 percent adult readership could still expose a significant number of children to tobacco and nicotine advertising. The coalition also opposed provisions allowing online sales, remote orders, and courier delivery of non-combustible nicotine products, citing potential circumvention of age-verification systems and the difficulty for regulators to monitor online vendors effectively.

Furthermore, the groups rejected the proposed classification of heated tobacco products as non-combustible, asserting that these products still contain tobacco and nicotine, and thus "Heating it instead of burning it does not remove its toxicity or addictiveness." They also expressed concern over the proposed reduction in health-warning requirements for some novel nicotine products, arguing that weaker warnings would diminish public awareness of the associated risks. The coalition stressed that any amendment must serve to bolster public health rather than create loopholes for the tobacco and nicotine industries.

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Heating it instead of burning it does not remove its toxicity or addictiveness.