* Says it compromises public health
Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The Nigeria Tobacco Control Community has called on President Bola Tinubu to withhold assent to the National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, saying it compromised the public health of Nigerians.
It also called on the National Assembly to immediately recall the consolidated Bill and subject it to a transparent, public health-led review.
It further called on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to publicly clarify its position and demand the recall of the Bill if it was not properly consulted.
The group made the call on Monday in Abuja during a press conference with the theme ‘Why Nigeria must reject harmful amendments to the National Tobacco Control Act.’
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of Corporate Accountability & Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Oluwafemi Akinbode, maintained that Nigeria needs one strong and product-neutral framework for every tobacco and nicotine product.
He said having carefully reviewed the proposed legislation, the Bill does not protect Nigerians, instead it weakens existing safeguards and creates a wide-open market for tobacco and nicotine companies to thrive at the expense of public health.
To this end, Akinbode demanded its immediate recall for a comprehensive and transparent review.
He stated: “We agree that our primary law, the National Tobacco Control Act of 2015, alongside its 2019 Regulations, requires updating to address evolving markets.
“However, modernising our legal framework must not mean rolling out a red carpet for new and emerging nicotine and tobacco products.
“We cannot protect public health by carving out weak rules and loopholes for vapes, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches.”
Akinbode added that while the amendment bill contains minor positive updates, such as Clause 5, which extends smoke-free zones within 30 metres of schools and health facilities, and Clause 3, which adds the Nigeria Police Force and Youth Development Ministry to the National Tobacco Control Committee, these provisions cannot excuse the far more reckless changes introduced throughout the text.
He explained that Clause 16 alters section 45 of the Principal Act by defining heated tobacco products as noncombustible products and explicitly excluding non-combustible items from the legal definition of a tobacco product.
Akinbode stressed that Clause 7 amends Section 12 by introducing Subsection (6), Section 12(1) of the NTC Act 2015 currently prohibits tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
In his submission, In-Country Coordinator, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Michael Olaniyan, argued that public health is under attack and called on the health ministry to wake up.
He lamented that the National Assembly discarded public recommendations on the proposed Bill and created a new 31-page Tobacco Control Bill, contradicting the original two documents.
Olaniyan stressed the Bill reduces health warning sizes and removes penalties for non-compliance, granting the minister broad discretion over product regulations.
According to him, “The bill now permits online sales of tobacco products, despite previous prohibitions, raising concerns about verification and enforcement.”
Olaniyan explained that there is a loophole in the bill that allows for product sampling in enclosed areas, which effectively allows perpetual use of tobacco products under the guise of sampling.
He said the Bill also introduces a maximum size for health warnings on tobacco products, which could be reduced to zero, contradicting the principle of increasing health warnings.
Olaniyan stressed that the standard practice is to set a minimum size for health warnings, which could be increased in response to health challenges, but the bill downplays this.
He decried that the Bill deletes provisions for offences and penalties related to sales, weakening the law and making non-compliance more likely.
Olaniyan revealed that the minister was given unprecedented power to decide which products do not need to comply with the law, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest and undermining public health efforts.
The alliance demanded: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must withhold assent should this compromised draft reach his desk.
“The National Assembly must immediately recall the consolidated Bill and subject it to a transparent, public health led review.
“Publish all committee reports, voting records, and stakeholder submissions, which led to the development of this anti-health bill.
“The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare must publicly clarify its position and demand the recall of the Bill if it was not properly consulted.”
The coalition noted that nothing in the proposed Bill aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the president.