Foreign, Local Groups Targeting Nigerian Students With Nicotine Products – Advocates Warn
As concerns continue to grow over youth addiction, health advocates are sounding the alarm on a new wave of nicotine marketing targeting Nigerian students under the guise of “harm reduction.”
Three leading tobacco control groups, the Nigerian Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), and Gatefield, have raised red flags over what they describe as a “coordinated campaign” by the tobacco industry and a Sweden-based organisation to introduce nicotine pouches, vapes, and heated tobacco products to young Nigerians.
In a joint statement, the groups accused the industry of disguising its tactics as public health education, warning that such moves could undo years of progress in tobacco control and worsen the country’s non-communicable disease burden.
“This is a deceptive rebranding of tobacco marketing,” said Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of CAPPA. “There is no safe level of nicotine.
What they call harm reduction is simply a dangerous lie that fuels youth addiction.”
Oluwafemi cited World Health Organisation data showing that at least 15 million children aged 13 to 15 are already addicted to e-cigarettes globally, adding that “this is the so-called ‘smoke-free future’ the industry envisions, one that sustains a steady pipeline of young addicts.”
NTCA’s Alliance Coordinator, Olawale Makanjuola, called on the government to fully enforce existing tobacco laws, including advertising bans, taxation, and strict age verification, to stop the infiltration of these products in schools.
Echoing similar concerns, Gatefield’s Health Communications Specialist, Omei Bongos-Ikwue, urged authorities to “shield public health policies from the tobacco industry’s commercial interests” and protect Nigerian youth from “new forms of addiction disguised as lifestyle accessories.”
The advocates insisted that Nigeria must not become a dumping ground for nicotine products banned in other countries and called for immediate government action to curb what they described as a looming public health crisis.
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