Tobacco control advocacy organisations in Nigeria have urged the Federal Government and public health authorities to take immediate action against the covert promotion of nicotine-based products disguised as “harm reduction education” by local tobacco industry fronts and a Swedish-linked group.
In a joint statement, the Nigerian Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), and Gatefield warned that these groups are introducing nicotine pouches, vapes, and heated tobacco products to young Nigerians under the guise of public health awareness. The move, they said, risks reversing hard-won progress in tobacco control and youth protection.
The groups noted that at least 43 counties have banned nicotine vaping products due to health concerns. “Nigeria cannot be a dumping ground for these rejected products,” the groups declared. “The government has a duty to protect citizens from this dangerous tactic.”
The warning follows a recent event in Abuja organised by an industry-backed group presenting itself as a “harm reduction organisation from Sweden.” According to the advocates, the event was a calculated effort to derail Nigeria’s tobacco control framework and promote nicotine addiction under a new name.
Despite claiming to advocate alternatives for smokers, the group launched media campaigns marketing the products as “safer options,” echoing a global strategy long used by the tobacco industry to rebrand its image while sustaining profits.
Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of CAPPA, described the new campaigns as “a dangerous lie fueling a youth addiction crisis.”
“There is no safe level of nicotine,” he said. “These groups are marketing addictive products as harm-reducing alternatives, and that’s a deceit that directly threatens young Nigerians.”
He referenced World Health Organization (WHO) data showing that at least 15 million children aged 13 to 15 are already addicted to e-cigarettes globally, with children being nine times more likely than adults to vape.
“This is the so-called ‘smoke-free future’ the industry envisions — one that sustains a steady pipeline of young addicts to replace those killed by tobacco,” Oluwafemi added.
Olawale Makanjuola, NTCA Alliance Coordinator, emphasised that Nigeria already possesses a robust tobacco control legal framework — from strong taxation and advertising bans to plain packaging and age verification laws — but lacks consistent enforcement.
“What’s needed is political will,” he said. “Industry-backed programmes claim not to target youths, yet they run ‘educational’ campaigns in schools that normalise nicotine use. These are Trojan horses disguised as public health initiatives.”
Omei Bongos-Ikwue, Health Communications and Policy Specialist at Gatefield, stressed that Nigeria, as a signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), must shield its health policies from corporate manipulation.
“The industry does not seek to end nicotine use; it seeks to repackage it for its most important market — young people,” she said. “We must remain focused on prevention and cessation, not on legitimising addiction.”
The organisations urged the government to strengthen enforcement, close policy loopholes, and mobilise communities against the infiltration of nicotine products into schools and public spaces.
“If our institutions fail to act now, Nigeria risks importing a major public health crisis,” they warned.
“We must develop local, evidence-based solutions that reflect our realities — not adopt foreign harm reduction models that promote addiction as innovation.”