Tobacco. Photo: The Sun Nigeria
Civil society organisations, health advocates and public-interest groups have called for the immediate recall of the National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, warning that some of its provisions could weaken safeguards and expose Nigerian youths to addictive nicotine products.
The groups, under the Nigeria Tobacco Control Community, said the bill could create new channels for advertising, promotion, sponsorship, sampling, retail display and online sales of emerging products, including vapes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches.
The statement was read on Monday in Abuja by the Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, at an event organised by the Nigeria Tobacco Control Community to show opposition against the newly amended Tobacco Control Act in Abuja
The coalition said it supported updating the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 and its 2019 Regulations to address emerging products, but insisted that any amendment must strengthen, rather than weaken, public-health protections.
