Foreign and Local Groups Target Nigerian Students with Nicotine Products — NTCA, CAPPA, Gatefield Warn

By Dooshima Terkura, Makurdi

Tobacco control advocacy organisations in Nigeria have raised alarm over what they describe as the covert targeting of Nigerian youth, particularly students, by local and foreign groups marketing nicotine-based products under the guise of “harm reduction education.

In a joint statement, the Nigerian Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), and Gatefield urged the Federal Government, health authorities, and relevant stakeholders to take immediate action to halt these deceptive activities. They warned that the tobacco industry, through its proxies — including a group from Sweden — is introducing these products to young Nigerians, threatening to reverse years of progress in tobacco control and public health.

The groups noted that the development comes at a time when at least 43 countries have banned nicotine vaping products and 26 others have prohibited heated tobacco products, citing health risks, unethical marketing, and the need to curb youth addiction.

“Nigeria cannot be a dumping ground for these rejected products,” they stated. “The government has a duty to protect citizens from such dangerous tactics.”

They referenced a recent event in Abuja organised by an industry front group posing as a “harm reduction organisation from Sweden,” describing it as a deliberate attempt to undermine the enforcement of Nigeria’s tobacco control laws and worsen the nation’s non-communicable diseases (NCD) crisis.

According to media reports, the group had urged Nigeria to adopt a “localised harm reduction strategy” inspired by the “Quit Like Sweden model,” while simultaneously launching media campaigns marketing nicotine products as “safer alternatives.”

In a statement signed by Robert Egbe, CAPPA’s Media and Communications Officer, the organisations described this as a deceptive rebranding of tobacco marketing. They warned that the industry is exploiting harm-reduction rhetoric to recruit a new generation of nicotine users.

They also faulted the Swedish group’s claim that “there can never be a nicotine-free world,” describing it as proof that the tobacco industry aims to perpetuate addiction while most nations are advancing toward nicotine-free futures.

Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of CAPPA, stated, “There is no safe level of nicotine. These groups are promoting nicotine pouches, vapes, and heated tobacco devices as harm-reducing or safer alternatives, and that is a dangerous lie fueling a youth addiction crisis right here at home.”

He cited World Health Organization (WHO) data showing that at least 15 million children aged 13 to 15 are already addicted to e-cigarettes, with children nine times more likely than adults to vape.

“This is the so-called ‘smoke-free future’ the industry envisions — one that sustains a pipeline of young addicts to replace those killed or harmed by tobacco and nicotine products so shareholders can keep smiling to the bank,” he added.

Oluwafemi called for bold government action to restrict youth access to nicotine products and protect children from addiction, emphasizing that “harm is harm; there is no safe level of poison.”

NTCA Alliance Coordinator, Olawale Makanjuola, shared this view, stressing that Nigeria already has robust legal frameworks that, if fully enforced, can stop the spread of nicotine addiction.

“We have the tools: strong taxation, comprehensive advertising bans, plain packaging, strict age verification, and cessation support. What’s missing is political will,” Makanjuola said. “Industry-backed programmes claim not to target youths, yet they launch ‘educational’ campaigns in schools that normalise nicotine use. These are Trojan horses disguised as public health initiatives.”

Similarly, Omei Bongos-Ikwue, Health Communications, Policy and Advocacy Specialist at Gatefield, called for stronger measures to protect the youth from the industry’s manipulative tactics.

“The industry is not seeking to end tobacco or nicotine use; it’s simply rebranding itself to appeal to its most valuable market — the youth,” she said. “As a party to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), Nigeria must shield public health policies from tobacco industry interference.”

The organisations stressed that evidence shows comprehensive tobacco control policies — not alternative product marketing — are what reduce smoking rates and protect public health.

“Nigeria must align with global best practices and resist the industry’s deceptive harm-reduction tactics,” the statement concluded. “Our youth do not need new forms of addiction disguised as lifestyle accessories. If our public institutions and communities fail to act now, Nigeria risks importing a major public health crisis.”