A silent but dangerous nicotine crisis is unfolding in Nigeria, with electronic cigarettes popularly known as vapes, gaining widespread traction, especially among the youth. While global tobacco companies market vaping as a “safer alternative” to smoking, growing evidence shows that the trend poses severe health risks and threatens to hook a new generation on nicotine.

Vaping, the act of inhaling aerosols produced by electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), is widely promoted under the guise of harm reduction. However, the vapour contains fine particles laced with toxic chemicals linked to respiratory issues, heart disease, and cancer. Despite claims of safety, vaping has emerged as a gateway to cigarette smoking, especially among adolescents.

In Nigeria, the surge in vaping is alarming. Studies report a lifetime prevalence of 5.8 to 19.8 percent, with 11.8 percent of current users concentrated in urban areas like Lagos. Most of these users are aged between 15 and 35, drawn in by peer influence, sleek device designs, flavoured pods, and unregulated access.

“This is reminiscent of the deceptive tactics used by cigarette companies in the 1920s,” said Robert Egbe, a tobacco control advocate at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA). “Now, nearly 100 years later, Big Tobacco is using similar playbooks to market e-cigarettes as less harmful, despite knowing their addictive and harmful nature.”

The push includes celebrating May 30 as “World Vape Day,” a campaign driven by the industry to normalize vaping. However, experts warn that the narrative obscures the harsh reality: nicotine in e-cigarettes is just as addictive as heroin or cocaine, especially dangerous to the adolescent brain.

The situation is worsened by Nigeria’s weak regulatory environment. There are minimal restrictions on the sale of vape products, including to minors. Laws banning smoking in public spaces often don’t extend to vaping, allowing flavoured and disposable products to flood the market unchecked.

International studies highlight the consequences of such lax controls. In the UK and US, youth vaping has skyrocketed, with flavoured vapes being the main driver. In Australia and New Zealand, governments are responding with outright bans and regulatory crackdowns.

Egbe points to Nigeria’s missed opportunity in 2023, when excise taxes on tobacco and vape products—initially introduced in 2022 to deter consumption—were suspended under industry pressure. “This reversal weakened public health efforts and emboldened companies to aggressively market to young Nigerians,” he said.

To curb the crisis, Egbe urges a multi-pronged approach: reinstating excise taxes, enforcing age limits, banning flavoured products, and closing legal loopholes that allow indoor vaping. He also advocates for stronger public education campaigns, school-based interventions, youth support services, and better research and monitoring.

“Nigeria stands at a critical crossroads,” he warned. “Every percentage point increase in youth vaping represents thousands of lives at risk. If the current trend continues, we risk raising a generation addicted to nicotine, misled by industry tactics.”

Egbe called for urgent policy action to protect the country’s youth from long-term harm and preserve public health. “With decisive leadership, Nigeria can stop vaping from becoming the next tobacco epidemic,” he said.