Sunday Ehigiator
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has raised concerns over the growing proliferation of new and emerging nicotine and tobacco products in Nigeria.
CAPPA warned that tobacco companies were increasingly targeting young people through attractive packaging, sweet flavours, social media marketing, and cultural influences.
Speaking at a press conference held recently in Lagos to commemorate the 2026 World No Tobacco Day, CAPPA Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, urged the federal government and regulatory agencies to take urgent action to curb the spread of nicotine products, which he described as a major public health threat.
The event, held under the theme, “Unmasking the Appeal: Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction,” was part of activities marking the annual anti-tobacco campaign of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Make Big Tobacco Pay Global Week of Action.
Oluwafemi said the tobacco industry had merely changed its tactics rather than its core objective of profiting from addiction.
According to him, while the industry once promoted cigarettes using terms, such as “ultra-light,” “low tar,” and “low nicotine,” it now markets products under labels, such as “tobacco-free,” “clean nicotine,” “smoke-free,” and “harm reduction.”
He stated that tobacco companies had expanded beyond traditional cigarettes to aggressively market products like nicotine pouches, snus, electronic cigarettes, disposable vapes, and heated tobacco products.
Oluwafemi stated, “These products come sweetened, flavoured and wrapped in stylish and colourful packages designed to appeal to the eyes, smell and taste.
“But the industry’s objective remains the same: to make profit by making people addicted to products of death and disease.”
Citing findings from CAPPA’s recent report, titled, “New Smoke Trap: New and Emerging Nicotine and Tobacco Products, Youth Exposure and Policy Gaps in Nigeria,” Oluwafemi disclosed that the organisation documented 781 nicotine and tobacco-related products across Lagos, Enugu, and the Federal Capital Territory, with 573 categorised as new and emerging nicotine products.
He warned that many of the products were sold in bright colours and attractive flavours, such as mango, strawberry, bubble gum, mint, vanilla and candy, making them particularly appealing to children and adolescents.
“The industry is targeting your children, your siblings, Nigeria’s future as its next addicts and source of income,” he stated.
According to CAPPA, many of the products resemble flash drives, pens, toys, cosmetics, and small electronic gadgets, enabling them to pass unnoticed in schools, homes, and social settings.
The organisation also criticised what it described as the tobacco industry’s attempt to promote “World Vape Day”, stating that unlike World No Tobacco Day, the observance has no recognition from WHO, United Nations, or any reputable international health body.
Oluwafemi described the campaign as “a fraudulent marketing hoax” aimed at rehabilitating the image of tobacco companies, portraying nicotine addiction as harmless, and recruiting a new generation of consumers.
CAPPA further expressed concern over what it called the growing normalisation of smoking through culture, entertainment, and lifestyle marketing.
The group specifically referenced the increasing visibility of cigar smoking during cultural events, such as the Ojude Oba Festival, where images of cigar-smoking participants had gained widespread attention on social media.
While acknowledging the cultural significance of the festival, CAPPA warned that the public display of tobacco products risked portraying smoking as fashionable, prestigious, and socially desirable.
The organisation said,
“In recent years, images of men, such as Farooq Oreagba, smoking cigars at the festival have circulated widely, often accompanied by narratives of prestige, masculinity, affluence, and cultural confidence.
“Young people are increasingly associating cigar smoking with success and admiration.”
CAPPA stated that cultural festivals should not become platforms for the indirect promotion of tobacco products, stressing that public smoking remains prohibited under Nigeria’s tobacco control laws.
The organisation also highlighted the growing influence of digital platforms, like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X, in shaping perceptions among young Nigerians, warning that repeated exposure to images that glamorise smoking could encourage nicotine use.
According to the group, tobacco-related diseases continue to claim nearly 30,000 lives annually in Nigeria, while thousands of children and adolescents already use tobacco products.
To address the challenge, CAPPA called on the federal government, National Assembly, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), National Tobacco Control Committee, National Broadcasting Commission, and other regulators to intensify enforcement of tobacco control laws.
The organisation urged authorities to adopt stronger measures beyond taxation, including banning flavoured nicotine products, restricting youth-oriented packaging and marketing, extending public-use restrictions to emerging nicotine products, strengthening controls on sales to minors, and preventing tobacco advertising across traditional and digital media.
While acknowledging the government’s decision to include new nicotine products within Nigeria’s excise tax regime, CAPPA maintained that taxation alone would not solve the problem.
it stated, “A product can be taxed and still become fashionable, accessible, socially admired and culturally normalised.
“Nigeria must go beyond taxation and adopt stronger measures to prevent the promotion and uptake of these products, especially among young people.”
CAPPA also called for increased financing of the Tobacco Control Fund to support public education, research, monitoring and enforcement activities.
The organisation urged journalists and media practitioners to avoid portraying tobacco and nicotine products as lifestyle trends or symbols of sophistication, stressing that the media has a critical role to play in protecting public health.
Oluwafemi said, “As Nigeria marks World No Tobacco Day 2026, we must expose industry tactics, challenge misinformation, and ensure that public health takes precedence over corporate profit.
“The appeal of these products is carefully designed. Countering that appeal will require equally deliberate action.”
