Nigeria’s tobacco control community has rejected the proposed National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, describing it as a major setback to public health and urging its immediate withdrawal over concerns that it weakens existing protections against tobacco and nicotine products.
In a joint statement issued on Thursday, the coalition called on the National Assembly to recall the bill and urged President Bola Tinubu to withhold assent if it is transmitted for approval.
The groups argued that rather than strengthening regulation, the proposed amendment creates a more permissive framework for electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, nicotine pouches and other non-combustible products.
According to the coalition, the bill reverses the core public health principles of the National Tobacco Control Act, 2015, by relaxing restrictions on advertising, promotion, sponsorship, product display and remote sales for newer tobacco and nicotine products.
The groups described as contradictory a provision that classifies heated tobacco products as non-combustible products while excluding them from the definition of tobacco products, despite containing tobacco.
They argued that such a provision contradicts the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), which recognises heated tobacco products as tobacco products subject to full tobacco-control measures.
The coalition also opposed provisions permitting advertising in so-called adult publications, point-of-sale promotions, online advertising and adult events, warning that such channels would expose young Nigerians to tobacco and nicotine marketing.
Citing Nigeria’s youthful population and internet penetration among children and teenagers, the groups said the proposed definition of adult publications would allow tobacco advertisements to reach minors through newspapers, magazines, blogs and digital platforms.
They further criticised the bill for authorising online sales, courier deliveries, retail displays and product sampling for non-combustible products, warning that regulators lack the capacity to effectively monitor such channels.
The coalition also raised concerns over proposed changes to packaging and health warning requirements, saying the bill would allow cigars to be sold in smaller packs, weaken health warning standards for nicotine pouches and exempt vaping and tobacco-heating devices from carrying health warnings.
It further faulted provisions allowing manufacturers to classify product information as trade secrets, arguing that the move would deny researchers, civil society and the public access to information on the chemical composition and health risks of tobacco and nicotine products.
The statement also expressed concern over provisions empowering the Minister of Health to exempt certain non-combustible products from statutory requirements on grounds of undefined public interest, warning that such discretionary powers could encourage regulatory capture.
The coalition questioned the legislative process leading to the current version of the bill and demanded the public release of all committee reports, stakeholder memoranda, public hearing records, voting records and related documents.
It maintained that the draft presented during the November 2024 public hearing did not contain many of the controversial provisions now included in the proposed legislation.
The groups also called on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Tobacco Control Committee and other regulators to publicly clarify their positions on the bill.
They insisted that all tobacco and nicotine products should remain subject to a single, strong regulatory framework that prohibits advertising, promotion, sponsorship, retail displays, promotional sampling and remote sales while maintaining robust health warnings and enforcement measures.
The coalition urged health professionals, civil society organisations, development partners, the media and the public to support efforts to preserve the integrity of the National Tobacco Control Act, stressing that public health must take precedence over commercial interests.