…Coalition Of 100 Groups Demands Immediate Withdrawal Of 2025 Amendment
….Warns Online Sales, Advertising, Sponsorship Of Vaping Products Could Weaken Safeguards
Daud Olatunji
A coalition of more than 100 civil society organisations and public health advocates has urged the National Assembly to withdraw the National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, warning that some provisions could weaken existing safeguards and increase children’s exposure to tobacco and nicotine products.
The coalition, known as the Nigeria Tobacco Control Community, raised the alarm in Abuja on Monday, saying the proposed amendment could create regulatory loopholes for emerging products, including electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches.
Speaking at a press briefing, the Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, Akinbode Oluwafemi, who read the coalition’s statement, described the proposed legislation as a “major public health danger disguised as legislative reform.”
The coalition acknowledged that the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 and its 2019 Regulations require updating to keep pace with changes in the tobacco and nicotine market.
However, it argued that updating the law must not result in weaker regulation of new products.
The groups said some provisions of the bill were commendable, including the proposed extension of smoke-free zones to within 30 metres of schools and health facilities and the inclusion of the Nigeria Police Force and the ministry responsible for youth development in the National Tobacco Control Committee.
They, however, argued that those provisions were outweighed by what they described as potentially dangerous concessions elsewhere in the bill.
One of their major concerns is the proposed introduction of “tobacco harm reduction objectives” into the purposes of the Act.
According to the coalition, the provision could be used to justify lighter regulation of emerging tobacco and nicotine products.
The groups also rejected the proposed classification of heated tobacco products as non-combustible products, arguing that the distinction could create a regulatory loophole for products that still contain tobacco.
The coalition maintained that changing the method of heating tobacco did not eliminate the health risks associated with tobacco and nicotine consumption.
It further raised concerns over proposed provisions that would permit advertising of non-combustible products in adult publications, through point-of-sale materials and online platforms.
The groups also opposed provisions that could allow sponsorship of cultural, social and recreational events by manufacturers or marketers of such products.
The coalition particularly faulted the bill’s definition of an “adult publication” as a publication with at least 50 per cent adult readership.
It argued that the threshold could still expose a significant number of underage readers to tobacco and nicotine advertising.
The organisations also warned against proposed provisions allowing online sales, remote orders and delivery of non-combustible products through mail, shipping and courier services.
They argued that age-verification systems could be circumvented, particularly in Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital marketplace and informal retail environment.
According to the coalition, allowing indoor vaping for product sampling, point-of-sale promotions and sponsorship of social events could further normalise nicotine use among young people.
It also expressed concern about the potential influence of social media and digital marketing in making such products more attractive and accessible to adolescents.
Another major concern raised by the coalition was the proposed reduction in health-warning requirements for novel tobacco and nicotine products.
The groups noted that conventional tobacco packaging currently carries 60 per cent graphic health warnings, but alleged that the proposed amendment would introduce weaker warning requirements for vape liquids and nicotine pouches.
They also opposed provisions that would exempt some electronic cigarette and heating devices from carrying health warnings.
The coalition further criticised the Third Schedule of the proposed legislation, which it said would allow manufacturers to generate, hold and internally approve their own safety dossiers.
It argued that public health regulation should not be based primarily on safety evidence generated and controlled by the companies whose products are being regulated.
The groups also questioned a proposed power for the Minister of Health to exempt non-combustible products from provisions of the law on undefined “public interest” grounds.
They warned that such discretionary powers could create room for lobbying and regulatory capture.
The coalition further alleged that some of the controversial provisions were absent from earlier versions of the legislation presented during a public hearing in November 2024.
It said the bills identified as HB 47 and HB 1151, which were later consolidated, did not contain what it described as the current concessions.
The groups consequently demanded the publication of the committee reports, voting records and stakeholder submissions that informed the development of the current version of the bill.
They also called on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to publicly state its position on the proposed amendment and demand its withdrawal if it was not adequately consulted during the legislative process.
The coalition appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to withhold assent should the bill eventually reach his desk in its current form.
It called instead for a single, product-neutral regulatory framework covering all tobacco and nicotine products.
The coalition insisted that advertising, sponsorship, product sampling, retail display and remote sales of tobacco and nicotine products should remain prohibited.
The groups said the priority should be to strengthen Nigeria’s tobacco-control regime rather than create new loopholes that could make nicotine products more accessible to young Nigerians.
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