TOBACCO CONTROL: NTCA ACCUSES CIGARETTE COMPANIES OF USING CSR, GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIPS TO INFLUENCE PUBLIC POLICIES

Alliance raises concerns over youth-targeted marketing, cigarette displays near children’s products, entertainment promotions and proposed amendments to tobacco control laws

The Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA) has raised concerns over alleged growing interference by tobacco companies in Nigeria’s public health sector, accusing the industry of deploying corporate social responsibility (CSR), government partnerships, retail displays, digital marketing and entertainment platforms to promote its corporate image and undermine tobacco control regulations.

The Alliance warned that these activities could weaken existing public health protections, expose young Nigerians to tobacco-related products and compromise efforts to reduce smoking and prevent tobacco-related diseases.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, NTCA Chairman, Mr Oluwafemi Akinbode, disclosed that the Alliance’s latest industry monitoring report, titled How Tobacco Industry Undermines Public Rules in Nigeria, documented 42 verified incidents of alleged tobacco industry interference across the Federal Capital Territory and 10 states between January and August 2026.

Akinbode explained that the monitoring exercise initially received 57 submissions, which were subjected to verification. However, 16 duplicate submissions relating to the same British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) event were removed, leaving 42 distinct and verified incidents.

According to him, 15 incidents, representing 35.7 per cent, involved corporate social responsibility activities and engagements with public institutions, while the remaining 27 incidents, representing 64.3 per cent, involved other forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS).

He noted that the findings showed how tobacco industry activities had moved beyond conventional advertising into public institutions, youth development programmes, agricultural initiatives, entertainment, digital platforms and everyday commercial activities.

The NTCA chairman expressed particular concern over the use of CSR initiatives by tobacco companies to project themselves as contributors to national development, citing programmes involving agriculture, youth employment, women’s empowerment, food security and environmental restoration.

He specifically mentioned British American Tobacco Nigeria and BATNF, noting that initiatives such as Farmers for the Future and the Graduate Entrepreneur Programme had been presented as interventions aimed at supporting young Nigerians and agricultural development.

Akinbode disclosed that 17 graduates reportedly received a total of ₦25.5 million in business grants in June 2026, while BATNF partnered with the Lagos State Agricultural Development Authority in August to train 200 poultry farmers.

He, however, cautioned that such initiatives should not distract Nigerians from the public health implications of tobacco consumption.

“Philanthropic activities should not become instruments for building public acceptance for an industry whose products cause serious diseases and preventable deaths,” he said.

NTCA Questions Tobacco Companies’ Government Partnerships

The Alliance also faulted partnerships between tobacco companies and public institutions, including the Nigeria Customs Service, National Youth Service Corps, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, as well as various state government agencies.

It specifically cited the June 2026 Memorandum of Understanding between the Nigeria Customs Service and British American Tobacco Nigeria to combat illicit tobacco trade.

Akinbode said such engagements raised questions about the boundaries between legitimate regulatory cooperation and potential industry influence over public institutions.

He emphasised that Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) requires governments to protect public health policies from the commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry.

According to him, government institutions must ensure that their engagements with tobacco companies do not compromise the implementation of tobacco control policies.

Children Exposed to Tobacco Marketing Through Retail and Digital Platforms

The monitoring report also raised concerns over the display of cigarette packs alongside biscuits, sweets, chewing gum and other everyday products commonly purchased by children.

The Alliance argued that such retail arrangements could increase children’s exposure to tobacco products and make cigarette purchases appear like ordinary shopping activities.

It also identified the online promotion of electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products and flavoured nicotine pouches, reportedly using attractive flavours such as bubble gum, melon ice and piña colada.

The report further highlighted the use of young-looking models and lifestyle imagery in digital marketing, warning that such promotional strategies could appeal to younger audiences.

NTCA Raises Alarm Over Smoking Images in Entertainment

Akinbode also expressed concern over what the Alliance described as the increasing glamorisation of smoking in Nigerian entertainment.

He cited smoking imagery in music videos and the viral appearance of Farooq Oreagba at the 2024 Ojude Oba festival, where he was photographed smoking a cigar while riding a horse.

According to the Alliance, some cigar retailers subsequently associated the widely circulated image with their products.

The organisation warned that the use of smoking imagery in entertainment and popular cultural events could influence public perception of tobacco products, particularly among young people.

Alliance Opposes Proposed Amendments to Tobacco Control Law

The NTCA further expressed concern over the consolidated National Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill 2025, warning that certain proposed provisions could weaken existing protections under Nigeria’s tobacco control framework.

According to the organisation, the proposed amendments contain provisions that could permit point-of-sale promotions, sponsorship of adult-only events, indoor sampling, online sales and home delivery of tobacco products, while weakening existing health-warning requirements.

The Alliance cautioned that introducing such provisions could undermine efforts to regulate tobacco advertising, restrict access to tobacco products and protect public health.

NTCA Makes Demands on Federal Government

To address the concerns, the Alliance called on the Federal Government to issue clear directives for the implementation of Sections 25 to 28 of the National Tobacco Control Act 2015.

It also demanded an end to public-sector partnerships with tobacco companies, stronger enforcement against tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and the introduction of a 100-metre restriction on tobacco advertising and sales around schools.

Other demands include stricter enforcement of restrictions on smoking imagery in entertainment by the National Film and Video Censors Board, improved monitoring of digital marketing and online tobacco sales, and the rejection of provisions in the proposed amendment bill that could weaken existing public health protections.

The Alliance also urged the Tobacco Control Unit of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to establish an accessible public reporting system through which citizens and civil society organisations can report suspected tobacco industry interference.

NTCA Launches Monitoring Report as Early Warning Resource

Earlier, the NTCA Coordinator, Olawale Makanjuola, described the industry monitoring report as an important resource for documenting what he called the tobacco industry’s covert strategies, aggressive marketing campaigns, CSR activities and attempts to influence public policies.

Makanjuola said the report, commissioned by the Alliance with support from the African Capacity Building Foundation, was designed to serve as an early warning system and practical action guide for government institutions, civil society organisations and the media.

He also drew attention to the nearly 30,000 preventable tobacco-related deaths in Nigeria, alongside the economic pressure tobacco-related illnesses place on the country’s healthcare system.

New Resource Centre to Support Tobacco Control Advocacy

Also speaking at the meeting, the In-country Coordinator of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Barrister Michael Olaniyan, said the newly introduced resource centre would address the need for accessible and reliable information on tobacco control.

He explained that the centre would provide campaign materials, research resources, one-page policy briefs and practical tools to support advocates, journalists and other stakeholders working to strengthen tobacco control in Nigeria.

Olaniyan said the initiative would complement existing scientific research by making relevant information easier to access, understand and deploy in public awareness campaigns.

The NTCA urged the Federal Government, civil society organisations and the media to utilise the monitoring report and resource centre to strengthen accountability, expose alleged industry interference and protect existing tobacco control laws from amendments and practices that could undermine public health.