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ABUJA – The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) and the National Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA) have called on the Nigerian government and lawmakers to strengthen the National Tobacco Control Act, 2015, to protect public health and prevent the exploitation of vulnerable populations.
According to CAPPA, recent efforts to review the Act are a step in the right direction, but any amendments must prioritize the protection of public health and strengthen regulatory oversight. The group emphasized that the review must also close loopholes that allow the tobacco industry to exploit Nigerians.
A public hearing was held last week at the House of Representatives to discuss two proposed Bills aimed at amending the National Tobacco Control Act, 2015.
While these Bills present an opportunity to strengthen tobacco control in Nigeria, CAPPA noted that they also reveal gaps that must be addressed to ensure that the proposed amendments align with the ultimate goal of safeguarding public well-being.
Akinbode Oluwafemi, the Executive Director of CAPPA, said the organization’s call to action is not isolated, as the group has consistently advocated for the full implementation of the National Tobacco Control Act and its regulations, enhanced transparency in government dealings with the tobacco industry, and the denormalization of the tobacco industry’s so-called socially responsible activities.
Oluwafemi also said the need to reinforce Nigeria’s tobacco control framework cannot be overstated, urging the Nigerian government and lawmakers to take decisive action to strengthen the tobacco control law and protect the health and well-being of Nigerians.
He said current gaps in the existing regulation not only leave vulnerable populations exposed to the harms of tobacco but also provide fertile ground for the industry to exploit emerging products such as e-cigarettes, snus, smokeless tobacco and vapes ,among others ,which are now advertised to young Nigerians as the new cool.
Also speaking, the Senior Programme Manager, Policy Research of CAPPA, Zikora Ibeh while briefing newsmen in Abuja said they strongly recommended that this bill be withdrawn.
She explained that a public hearing was held last week at the House of Representatives to discuss two proposed Bills aimed at amending the National Tobacco Control Act (NTCA) 2015, titled House Bill (HB) 47 and HB 1151.
She said while these Bills represent an opportunity to strengthen tobacco control in Nigeria, they also reveal gaps that must be addressed to ensure that their proposed amendments align with what ought to be the ultimate goal, which is safeguarding the well-being of all Nigerians over the profit-driven interests of the tobacco industry.
She said the HB 1151, which seeks to impose stiffer penalties for violations of smoking regulations, suffers from a fundamental flaw in misrepresenting the title of the Principal Act and the referenced Sections for amendments.
“Regarding HB 47, which aims to cure certain defects in the NTCA 2015, ensure its effective implementation, as well as address the lacuna that may exploited by the tobacco industry in Nigeria, we have commended its intent but highlighted some gaps and areas that require strengthening.
She recommended that there is need to Strengthen the Law and Regulation to Cover New and Emerging Tobacco Products: Emerging products such as vapes, e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, heat-not-burn devices, and smokeless tobacco remain largely unregulated under the NTCA 2015.
According to her, these products, which have rapidly gained traction, are aggressively marketed to youth and often falsely advertised as “safer alternatives.”
