Akinbode Oluwafemi, the Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), has said the tobacco industry is deliberately targeting young people through the promotion of new and emerging nicotine products.
Oluwafemi made this known while delivering his welcome remarks at a press conference held in Lagos, to commemorate World No Tobacco Day 2026 with the theme, ‘Unmasking the Appeal: Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction.’
Oluwafemi warned that Nigerian youths are increasingly being positioned as the industry’s next generation of consumers.
He noted that the products are marketed as innovative, trendy, reduced-risk, or even tools for smoking cessation. Yet beneath the attractive packaging and carefully crafted messaging lies the same addictive substance that has caused untold suffering around the world.
“Many of these products are sold in sweet flavours, packaged in bright colours, and promoted through social media channels popular with young people. They are designed not merely to compete for existing smokers, but to create new nicotine users.
“The industry is targeting your children, your siblings, Nigeria’s future as its next addicts and source of income,” he added.
The CAPPA ED thereafter called on the Federal Government, the National Assembly, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Tobacco Control Committee, and all relevant regulatory agencies to urgently address the growing proliferation of new and emerging nicotine products in Nigeria.
He said, “the speed with which these products are entering our markets far exceeds the pace of regulation. Nigeria must not become a dumping ground for products that face increasing restrictions in other jurisdictions. Every loophole and delay to act places more young Nigerians at risk of addiction.”
Similarly, Zikora Ibeh, the Assistant Executive Director of CAPPA, lamented the growing visibility of cigar smoking at major cultural events, including the annual Ojude Oba Festival, where images of cigar-smoking participants have gained widespread attention online.
While acknowledging the cultural significance of the festival, Ibeh said public displays that associate tobacco use with prestige, success and social status could undermine years of public health advocacy.
“When a tobacco product becomes associated with success and status, young people are unlikely to see its health risks first. Instead, they will see aspiration,” she said. “They will see men and women praised for looking “powerful and having steeze”. They will see nicotine wrapped in agbada, horses, colour, and applause,” Ibeh added.
Corroborating Oluwafemi’s call for stiffer policy measures, Ibeh said “Nigeria must also enforce existing laws against public smoking and tobacco promotion, including in cultural, entertainment, hospitality, and nightlife spaces. Cultural festivals must not become soft advertising grounds for tobacco products.”
She also charged “journalists and media practitioners to resist the temptation to report nicotine and tobacco products as mere lifestyle trends or consumer innovations.”
In his presentation titled ‘Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction: Implications for Public Health in Nigeria’, Dr Goke Akinrogunde, a medical practitioner and public health expert, said the increasing cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is associated with lung cancer, among young adults are frightening.
Dr Akinrogunde, who noted that the industry is growing wiser by switching from the harsh smell of tobacco to different flavours of addictive nicotine products, said this trend is creating more addiction.
He said, “smoking has reduced, but the use of nicotine has not reduced. There are more sick people and more dead people and this affects productivity.”
In his closing remarks to charge journalists in attendance, Anjola Fatuase, Project Officer, Tobacco Control, CAPPA, asked, “Who are the industries targeting? What do the laws say? And what are the health implications?”
According to him, answering these questions will nudge media professionals to exercise greater responsibility in the reporting and portrayal of smoking and nicotine use.
