A coalition of tobacco control advocates has raised alarm over what it described as a coordinated campaign by local and foreign interests to promote nicotine-based products among Nigerian youth under the guise of “harm reduction education.”
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the Nigerian Tobacco Control Alliance, NTCA, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, and Gatefield called on the Federal Government and health authorities to take urgent action against the clandestine marketing of these products, which they say threatens to undermine years of progress in tobacco control and public health.
The groups alleged that a Sweden-based organisation, in collaboration with local tobacco industry fronts, is introducing nicotine pouches, vapes, and heated tobacco devices to Nigerian students through campaigns branded as harm-reduction initiatives.
“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.”
They noted that at least 43 countries have banned nicotine vaping products, while 26 others prohibit heated tobacco products due to health risks, unethical marketing, and the rising threat of youth addiction.
According to the statement, the groups’ concern follows a recent event in Abuja allegedly organised by a “harm reduction group” from Sweden, which they described as an attempt to derail Nigeria’s tobacco control laws. The event reportedly promoted the “Quit Like Sweden” model while simultaneously marketing nicotine products to the public as safer alternatives.
Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, dismissed claims that such products are safer or beneficial for smokers trying to quit, insisting there is “no safe level of nicotine.”
“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,” Oluwafemi said.
Citing data from the World Health Organization (WHO), he said at least 15 million children aged 13 to 15 are already addicted to e-cigarettes globally, adding that “children are 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,” he added.
Oluwafemi urged the government to take decisive measures to eliminate youth access to nicotine products, warning that “harm is harm; there is no safe level of poison.”
NTCA Alliance Coordinator, Olawale Makanjuola, stressed that Nigeria already has a comprehensive legal framework capable of addressing the challenge 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,” he said.
Makanjuola accused industry-backed programmes of using “educational” campaigns in schools to normalise nicotine use, calling them “Trojan horses disguised as public health initiatives.”
Also speaking, Omei Bongos-Ikwue, Health Communications, Policy and Advocacy Specialist at Gatefield, said the tobacco industry is merely rebranding its image to appeal to young people.
“The industry does not seek to eradicate tobacco and nicotine, but to dress itself in packaging that attracts its most important market, the youth,” she said. “As a party to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), Nigeria must protect public health policies from the industry’s commercial interests.”
The organisations urged parents, guardians, and schools to remain vigilant as nicotine products increasingly infiltrate local markets and social spaces, warning that failure to act could expose the country to a new public health crisis.
“Nigeria must align with global best practices and develop home-grown public health solutions that reflect our realities, not copy narratives from countries where nicotine addiction is already entrenched,” the statement said.
They concluded that only strong enforcement and proactive public health education can prevent a new generation of Nigerians from falling prey to nicotine addiction marketed as a lifestyle trend.