Tobacco Bill Risks Nigeria’s Public Health Gains, Africa Centre Warns
Nigeria’s progress in reducing smoking could be undermined if proposed amendments to the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 create new openings for the tobacco and nicotine industry, the Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research (ATIM) has warned.
In a statement issued on Sunday, ATIM backed Nigerian tobacco control groups calling for the withdrawal of the proposed amendment Bill, particularly provisions introducing “Tobacco Harm Reduction” and separate regulations for non-combustible nicotine products such as electronic nicotine products and nicotine pouches.
The organisation said the changes could weaken Nigeria’s tobacco control framework and expose young people to new pathways into nicotine addiction.
ATIM said Nigeria should instead strengthen measures that have contributed to declining smoking prevalence, including smoke-free policies, tobacco taxation, health warnings, advertising restrictions and support for smokers seeking to quit.
It also called for greater transparency over how the “Tobacco Harm Reduction” provisions entered the harmonised Bill, including disclosure of stakeholders who proposed them, submissions received during the legislative process and meetings with tobacco or nicotine industry representatives.
The Centre said such disclosure was important under Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which requires governments to protect public health policies from the commercial interests of the tobacco industry.
ATIM stressed that it had not established that the tobacco industry drafted or caused the disputed provisions to be inserted, but said their origin should be publicly explained.
It further urged the National Assembly to ensure that any amendment to the Tobacco Control Act strengthens Nigeria’s public health safeguards rather than weakens them.
The warning follows a demand by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance and other health groups for the Bill’s withdrawal, with the groups also urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to withhold assent if it reaches his desk.
Follow the Savinews Africa channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VawgaEL5vKA9Y5XTFg0n
