By JKNewsMedia
GROWING CONCERNS has emerged among Nigeria’s tobacco control advocates over what they describe as a renewed and covert attempt by the tobacco industry to introduce nicotine-based products to the public under the guise of “harm reduction education.”
The release signed by Robert Egbe, Media and Communication Officer, CAPPA, on behalf of the three organisations, the Nigerian Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), and Gatefield called on the Federal Government, health authorities, and relevant agencies to take immediate action to halt the marketing of such products.
The groups said these tactics are being spearheaded by local tobacco industry fronts and a Swedish organisation that recently launched public campaigns promoting nicotine alternatives in Nigeria.
According to the statement, the industry’s manoeuvres are designed to lure young Nigerians—especially students—into nicotine dependence and reverse years of progress in tobacco control.
The organisations noted that this development comes at a time when at least 43 countries have banned nicotine vaping products, while 26 others have outlawed heated tobacco products.
These bans, they said, were informed by mounting health concerns, unethical marketing, and the need to protect youth from addiction.
“Nigeria cannot be a dumping ground for these rejected products,” the organisations declared. “The government has a duty to protect citizens from this dangerous tactic.”
The advocates cited a recent event in Abuja organised by an industry front group claiming to be a “harm reduction organisation from Sweden.”
They described the meeting as a calculated attempt to derail the enforcement of Nigeria’s tobacco control laws and aggravate the country’s non-communicable diseases (NCD) burden.
Media reports indicated that the Swedish group had urged Nigeria to adopt what it called a “localised harm reduction strategy” modelled after Sweden’s “Quit Like Sweden” campaign.
The group also launched mass media campaigns promoting nicotine pouches and other products as “safer alternatives” for smokers.
NTCA, CAPPA, and Gatefield described this as a deceptive rebranding of tobacco marketing, warning that the industry is exploiting harm-reduction rhetoric to cultivate a new generation of nicotine users.
They rejected claims that the products were harmless, stating that such messaging undermines public health.
The organisations further condemned the Swedish group’s assertion that “there can never be a nicotine-free world,” describing it as clear evidence of a deliberate attempt to perpetuate addiction while other nations are pursuing endgame tobacco strategies that aim for a nicotine-free future.
Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of CAPPA, said there is no safe level of nicotine exposure. “These groups are marketing nicotine pouches, vapes and heated tobacco devices as harm-reducing or safer alternatives, and that is a dangerous lie that fuels a youth addiction crisis right here at home,” he said.
Oluwafemi referred to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), which shows that at least 15 million children aged 13 to 15 are already addicted to e-cigarettes, with young people nine times more likely than adults to vape.
“This is the so-called ‘smoke-free future’ the industry envisions, one that sustains a steady pipeline of young addicts to replace those killed or harmed by tobacco and nicotine products so shareholders can keep smiling to the bank,” he stated.
He urged government authorities to adopt bold and decisive actions to eliminate youth access to nicotine products, protect children, and end what he called “the nicotine epidemic” in Nigeria.
“Harm is harm; there is no safe level of poison. Any message suggesting nicotine can be safely used is a public health misstep with devastating consequences for our youth and families.
“Nigeria must prioritise the elimination of access and strict enforcement of comprehensive protections over any form of so-called harm reduction marketing,” Oluwafemi added.
Corroborating this position, Olawale Makanjuola, NTCA Alliance Coordinator, said Nigeria already possesses a robust legal framework capable of curbing the spread of nicotine addiction if properly implemented.
“We have the tools: strong taxation, comprehensive advertising bans, plain packaging, strict age verification, and well-funded cessation support. What’s needed is political will,” Makanjuola stated.
He warned that “industry-backed programmes falsely claim not to target youths, yet they simultaneously launch ‘educational’ campaigns in schools that normalise nicotine use. These are Trojan horses disguised as public health initiatives.”
Echoing this concern, Omei Bongos-Ikwue, Health Communications, Policy and Advocacy Specialist at Gatefield, emphasised that the industry’s core interest is not to end nicotine use but to maintain its youth market.
“The industry does not seek to eradicate tobacco and nicotine, but to dress itself in packaging that attracts its most important market, the youth,” Bongos-Ikwue said.
“As a party to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), Nigeria must protect public health policies from the tobacco industry’s commercial interests. We must maintain our focus on preventing initiation and ending the epidemic, not advancing nicotine addiction.”
The statement underscored that global evidence consistently shows that comprehensive tobacco control policies—rather than the marketing of alternative products—drive quitting rates and reduce overall tobacco use. The groups urged Nigeria to align its national policies with these global best practices.
“Nigeria must align with global best practices and stand firm against the industry’s deceptive harm-reduction tactics,” the statement read.
“Beyond that, we must also develop home-grown public health solutions that reflect our social and local realities, not copy and paste narratives from countries where nicotine addiction is already entrenched. Nigerian youth do not need new forms of addiction disguised as lifestyle accessories.”
The organisations further called on parents, guardians, school authorities, and the general public to remain vigilant against the growing infiltration of nicotine products into communities and educational spaces.
“If our public institutions and communities fail to act now, Nigeria risks importing a major public health crisis,” the statement concluded.
