Civil society organisations, health advocates and public-interest groups have called for the immediate recall of the National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, warning that some of its provisions could weaken safeguards and expose Nigerian youths to addictive nicotine products.
The groups, under the Nigeria Tobacco Control Community, said the bill could create new channels for advertising, promotion, sponsorship, sampling, retail display and online sales of emerging products, including vapes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches.
The statement was read on Monday in Abuja by the Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, at an event organised by the Nigeria Tobacco Control Community to show opposition against the newly amended Tobacco Control Act in Abuja
The coalition said it supported updating the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 and its 2019 Regulations to address emerging products, but insisted that any amendment must strengthen, rather than weaken, 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 said.
The groups particularly raised concerns over proposed changes that would allow advertising of non-combustible products in adult publications, at points of sale and on online platforms, as well as sponsorship of cultural, social and recreational events.
They faulted the proposed definition of an adult publication as one with at least 50 per cent adult readership, arguing that such a threshold could still expose a significant number of children to tobacco and nicotine advertising.
The coalition also opposed provisions permitting online sales, remote orders and courier delivery of non-combustible nicotine products, saying age-verification systems could be circumvented.
It further questioned the capacity of regulators to effectively monitor online vendors, social media platforms, courier companies and delivery riders across the country.
The groups also rejected the proposed classification of heated tobacco products as non-combustible products, arguing that the products still contain tobacco and nicotine.
“Heating it instead of burning it does not remove its toxicity or addictiveness,” the coalition said.
Another concern was the proposed reduction in health-warning requirements for some novel nicotine products. The groups argued that weaker warnings would undermine public awareness of the risks associated with the products.
They also opposed a provision that would allow the Minister to exempt some non-combustible products from provisions of the law on undefined “public interest” grounds, warning that the discretion could create opportunities for lobbying and regulatory capture.
Speaking on behalf of the Nigeria Tobacco Alliance, Olawale Makanjuola urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to intervene to prevent the proposed amendment from becoming law in its current form.
Makanjuola said the bill was inconsistent with public-health objectives and could undermine years of investment in tobacco control.
“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 how some provisions entered the consolidated bill, recalling that earlier versions presented during a public hearing in November 2024 did not contain some of the concessions now included.
It demanded the publication of committee reports, voting records and stakeholder submissions relating to the development of the consolidated bill.
The groups acknowledged some positive provisions, including extending smoke-free zones to within 30 metres of schools and health facilities, but maintained that these could not offset what they described as wider weaknesses in the proposed legislation.
The Nigeria Tobacco Control Community urged the National Assembly to recall the bill and subject it to a transparent review centred on public health.
It also called on the Federal Ministry of Health to clarify its position and urged President Bola Tinubu to withhold assent if the bill reaches his desk in its present form.
Nigeria’s tobacco-control framework is anchored by the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 and its 2019 Regulations. The emergence of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches has intensified debate over how such products should be regulated.
The World Health Organisation has warned that nicotine is highly addictive and that exposure during adolescence can affect brain development. It has also called for stronger measures to prevent children and young people from being exposed to nicotine products