Despite having a robust legal framework to regulate tobacco use, experts have warned that weak enforcement and persistent industry interference continue to undermine Nigeria’s fight against tobacco-related deaths and diseases.
They gave the warning during a panel session titled “Endgame Strategies to Phase Out Tobacco” at the 2025 Gatefield Health Summit in Abuja on Thursday.
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The public health professionals said the country risks losing hard-won gains in tobacco control unless it strengthens implementation, closes regulatory loopholes, and resists industry manipulation.
A Senior Specialist Scientist, South African Medical Research Council, Catherine Egbe, said the ‘tobacco endgame’ seeks to make tobacco use so rare that less than five per cent of the population smokes.
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Ms Egbe stated that it’s a set of strategies that other countries are implementing to make tobacco history, but Africa must adapt these measures to local realities.
“There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Each country must determine what works best for it,” she said.
Ms Egbe cited findings from a multi-country study across 28 African nations which showed that over 90 per cent of respondents’ support making cigarettes non-addictive, regulating markets, and adopting a continental framework such as an African Charter for the Tobacco Endgame.
She also urged African governments to invest in research and evidence-based advocacy to strengthen their position against the industry.
“We can’t argue with data. If we don’t use facts to counter industry narratives, they will dominate the conversation. Dual use of new and traditional products is even more harmful, yet the public remains unaware,” she added.
Tobacco use in Nigeria
Tobacco use remains one of the most preventable causes of death in Nigeria, yet it continues to claim thousands of lives every year and drain the nation’s already fragile health system.
Although smoking prevalence in Nigeria is lower than in many other parts of the world, the country’s large population and weak enforcement of control laws make tobacco a persistent public health threat.
According to the most recent data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, about 5.6 per cent of Nigerian adults use some form of tobacco, translating to millions of people exposed to the deadly effects of nicotine addiction.
More recent estimates suggest that about 2.9 per cent of adults’ smoke in Nigeria, with men accounting for the vast majority of users. But while those numbers may appear modest, they represent a significant burden in a country of more than 200 million people and one where access to healthcare remains limited.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) tobacco is directly linked to a range of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, lung infections, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and chronic respiratory illnesses, which together account for an increasing share of deaths in Nigeria.
The agency also estimates that nearly 16,000 Nigerians die each year from tobacco-related diseases.
Despite Nigeria’s ratification of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the passage of the National Tobacco Control Act (NTCA) in 2015, experts said enforcement has been inconsistent.
The law prohibits advertising, smoking in public places, and sales to minors, and it mandates graphic health warnings on cigarette packs.
Yet, across many Nigerian cities, single-stick sales remain common, public smoking is widespread, and tobacco companies continue to exploit regulatory loopholes and weak oversight.
‘Industry pushing deceptive harm reduction narrative’
Another panelist, Chibuike Nwokorie, Programme Lead, Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance, warned that the tobacco industry in Nigeria continues to disguise harmful practices as harm reduction.
Mr Nwokorie lamented that industry lobbying has delayed enforcement of key tobacco control measures, including the ban on flavoured tobacco products approved five years ago but never implemented.
“They are trying to tell us they have products that are less harmful. But those products will still kill, only more slowly. Tobacco is poison at any level,” he said.
He added that for five years, the policy is yet to be enforced, instead, regulators asked for new data to justify it.
Youth addiction through new products
Zinhle Ngcobo, Research Psychologist, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said the introduction of e-cigarettes and oral nicotine pouches has created a new generation of addicts.
Ms Ngcobo noted that these products are marketed as harm reduction tools, but argued they are part of a broader campaign to sustain nicotine addiction, particularly among young people.
“These are the products the industry uses to hook young people. We see youth addiction being sustained under the guise of innovation. Without proper regulation, we are feeding future epidemics of addiction and disease,” she said.
She also described how youth-led campaigns in South Africa countered industry misinformation through community dialogues and public hearings, showing policymakers the real human cost of tobacco use.
Also speaking, Britta Matthes, Research Fellow, University of Bath, said the repeal of New Zealand’s historic tobacco-free generation law in 2024 showed the ongoing influence of the tobacco industry on public policy.
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Ms Matthes said, “While the industry claims to support smoke-free goals, they simultaneously lobby against measures like generational sales bans. It’s the same playbook we’ve seen for decades, legal threats, lobbying, and manipulation.”
‘Tax tobacco, enforce laws’
In his remarks, Michael Olaniyan, Nigeria Country Coordinator for Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said Nigeria’s failure lies not in legislation but in poor enforcement.
Mr Olaniyan noted that there is a law in Nigeria with multiple regulations, however there is a lack in enforcement.
“If the government can enforce even one or two of the existing policies and increase taxes on tobacco products, consumption will drop significantly,” he said.
Mr Olaniyan urged authorities to align tobacco taxes with WHO and ECOWAS recommendations, at least 50 per cent of retail price, to make cigarettes unaffordable and reduce preventable deaths.
“For every naira spent on tobacco, we take money away from food, education, and healthcare. We are too poor to indulge in expensive, deadly pleasures,” he added.
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