The Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research (ATIM), has urged the National Assembly to urgently reconsider the proposed amendments to Nigeria’s National Tobacco Control Act 2015, warning that new “Tobacco Harm Reduction” provisions could erode the country’s tobacco control gains.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Robert Egbe, the Media and Communications Officer, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, ATIM backed the Nigerian tobacco control community’s rejection of the proposed changes.
The organisation said the amendments could create loopholes for the tobacco industry to addict Nigerians, especially young people, with nicotine and other “so-called non-combustible products.”
The development comes amid Nigeria’s progress in reducing smoking prevalence and its obligations under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, WHO FCTC.
“Nigeria should be strengthening the measures that have helped reduce smoking, not creating new policy openings that could undermine those gains,” ATIM said.
