Lawrence Zongo.
Health advocates have raised alarm over proposed amendments to Nigeria’s Tobacco Control Act, warning that the changes could reverse years of progress in reducing smoking rates and expose millions of Nigerians, especially young people, to new forms of nicotine addiction.
The Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research (ATIM) has urged the National Assembly to withdraw and reconsider provisions in the proposed amendment bill that introduce “Tobacco Harm Reduction” measures, arguing that the move could create regulatory gaps that tobacco companies might exploit to expand the market for emerging nicotine products.
ATIM, in a statement obtained by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) on Sunday, August 9, 2026, said Nigeria’s lawmakers must protect the gains recorded since the enactment of the National Tobacco Control Act in 2015 rather than introduce policies that could weaken existing safeguards.
The organisation expressed concern over provisions covering products such as electronic cigarettes, vaping devices, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products, saying the inclusion of these products in the law requires greater scrutiny and transparency.
“Nigeria should be strengthening the measures that have helped reduce smoking, not creating new policy openings that could undermine those gains,” ATIM said.
The controversy comes as Nigeria’s tobacco control community intensifies opposition to the amendment bill, which was initially presented as an effort to strengthen enforcement of the 2015 law and address emerging challenges in the tobacco industry.
However, health advocates said the bill later expanded its focus by introducing “Tobacco Harm Reduction” as a policy objective and creating separate regulatory provisions for non-combustible nicotine products.
ATIM argued that such a shift could provide tobacco companies with new opportunities to market nicotine products, particularly among young Nigerians who remain vulnerable to aggressive advertising strategies and social influence.
The group noted that Nigeria has recorded progress in reducing adult smoking prevalence, with current estimates placing smoking rates at about 5–6 per cent, compared with higher levels in previous decades.
Public health experts fear that allowing wider promotion of alternative nicotine products could undermine efforts aimed at creating a smoke-free generation.
ATIM called on the government to focus on proven tobacco control measures, including stronger enforcement of smoke-free policies, increased tobacco taxation, larger health warnings on products, a ban on tobacco advertising and sponsorship, improved smoking cessation services, and stronger action against illicit tobacco trade.
The organisation also urged lawmakers to strictly follow Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), which requires governments to protect public health policies from tobacco industry interference.
The group said it was not claiming that the tobacco industry drafted or influenced the controversial provisions in the amendment bill, but demanded that lawmakers disclose the origin of the proposals, stakeholders involved, meetings held, submissions received and scientific evidence used to justify the changes.
“Transparency is essential, particularly because multinational tobacco companies are increasingly investing in new nicotine products,” ATIM stated.
The proposed amendments have widened a national debate over whether Nigeria should regulate emerging nicotine products as potential harm-reduction tools or treat them as another pathway for tobacco dependence.
While supporters of tobacco harm reduction argue that some alternative nicotine products could help adult smokers reduce exposure to harmful substances from combustible cigarettes, opponents insist that the evidence remains contested and that such products risk attracting young non-smokers into nicotine use.
Last Thursday, several Nigerian health organisations, including CAPPA, the Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA), Gatefield Impact, the Nigerian Cancer Society and the Association of Resident Doctors in Abuja, demanded the immediate withdrawal of the bill.
The groups also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reject the legislation if it reaches his desk for presidential assent.
The wider concern, health advocates say, goes beyond Nigeria’s borders. As Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria’s tobacco policies often influence public health approaches across the continent.
ATIM warned that weakening Nigeria’s tobacco control framework could send the wrong signal to other African nations battling rising interest from tobacco companies seeking new markets for alternative nicotine products.
The organisation called on lawmakers to ensure that any amendment to the Tobacco Control Act strengthens public health protection and moves Nigeria closer to a tobacco-free future rather than opening new avenues for nicotine dependence.
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