Nigeria’s Tobacco Control Community Denounces Controversial Amendment Bill, Calls for Immediate Action
In a joint statement issued Thursday, the coalition urged lawmakers to halt the bill’s progression, calling for its immediate withdrawal from the legislative process. They also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to withhold assent if the bill is presented for presidential approval.
The groups argue that the proposed amendments fall short of closing regulatory gaps and fail to subject new tobacco and nicotine products to stricter oversight. Instead, they allege, the bill weakens existing protections, creating a more permissive environment for electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco, nicotine pouches, and other non-combustible products.
“The 2015 Act was founded on a clear public-health principle,” the coalition emphasized. “Tobacco products are dangerous and highly addictive, requiring absolute restrictions on advertising, promotion, sponsorship, display, and remote accessibility. The amendment Bill reverses this principle by granting newer products freedoms denied to cigarettes and related products.”
They highlighted a particularly concerning contradiction within the bill: “In one of its most embarrassing contradictions, the bill defines non-combustible products to include heated tobacco products, then defines tobacco products to exclude all non-combustible products. The legal effect is that a product containing actual tobacco would cease to be treated as a tobacco product merely because it is heated rather than burned.”
The coalition criticized this classification as “absurd,” noting that the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) explicitly recognizes heated tobacco products as tobacco products that must be subjected to comprehensive tobacco-control measures. They warned that Nigeria’s deviation from this standard could diminish its credibility in the global public health community.
The proposed bill also reopens avenues for tobacco advertising and promotion through “adult publications,” point-of-sale promotions, online advertising, and events marketed as “adult.” The coalition pointed out that defining “adult publication” as one with at least 50% readers over 18 could still allow for marketing to youth, given Nigeria’s demographic realities: over 60% of Nigerians are below 30, and many access the internet via mobile devices.
Furthermore, provisions allowing online sales, courier deliveries, and retail display of non-combustible products, alongside sampling inside points of sale, pose significant risks to youth exposure and access. The coalition criticized the belief that age verification checks can effectively prevent underage access, calling such assumptions “laughable” given the current enforcement challenges.
The bill’s weakening of packaging and warning standards also drew concern. It would permit cigars to be sold in smaller, cheaper packs of five, potentially increasing affordability and accessibility. Nicotine pouch packaging would be limited to minimal warnings, and health warnings on vaping devices and heated tobacco products would be exempted.
Additionally, the bill introduces provisions that grant tobacco and nicotine companies the right to declare product information as “trade secrets,” shielding critical safety data from public scrutiny. The coalition warned that this secrecy could hinder independent research and accountability.
The bill further grants broad powers to the Minister of Health to exempt products from regulations based on “public interest,” raising fears of corporate influence and regulatory capture. The coalition also condemned the inclusion of “harm reduction” language, arguing that marketing products as “less harmful” does not equate to safety or health endorsement.
The groups questioned the process behind the bill’s development, demanding full transparency and public disclosure of all related documents, stakeholder inputs, and legislative records. They called on the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to clarify its stance and to demand a recall if the bill has bypassed proper scrutiny.
If the bill reaches President Tinubu’s desk, the coalition urges him to withhold approval and return it with clear objections, emphasizing that “renewed hope” for Nigeria’s health cannot be compromised for industry interests.
The coalition concluded by reaffirming that tobacco and nicotine regulation must be unified, comprehensive, and strictly enforced, insisting that protecting public health remains Nigeria’s top priority.