CAPPA Warns Of Youth Publicity As Rising Nicotine Merchandise Flood Market
The Company Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has raised considerations over the fast proliferation of new-generation nicotine and tobacco merchandise in Nigeria, warning that regulatory loopholes are exposing younger individuals to habit dangers.
Talking on Thursday on the launch of CAPPA’s report titled ‘New Smoke Entice: New and Rising Nicotine and Tobacco Merchandise, Youth Publicity and Coverage Gaps in Nigeria’ in Lagos on Thursday, the organisation’s Government Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, stated Nigeria is witnessing an aggressive growth of nicotine supply merchandise, together with e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco merchandise.
Oluwafemi warned that these merchandise are more and more seen in on a regular basis youth areas and are being normalised via life-style advertising.
“The merchandise underneath examination embody e-cigarettes generally referred to as vapes, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco merchandise, all of which are actually extremely seen in supermarkets, embedded in nightlife environments, and aggressively promoted throughout digital platforms which might be disproportionately accessed by younger individuals, thereby normalising nicotine consumption inside on a regular basis youth tradition,” he stated.
He defined that whereas Nigeria has made vital progress in tobacco regulation via the Nationwide Tobacco Management Act 2015 and the Nationwide Tobacco Management Rules 2019, these frameworks had been primarily designed to handle conventional tobacco merchandise.
In response to him, “that framework continues to serve a vital function, significantly with respect to conventional merchandise like cigarettes. Nevertheless, it was created to take care of one particular means of delivering nicotine via the burning of tobacco leaves.”
Oluwafemi famous that tobacco corporations have since tailored their methods by repackaging nicotine merchandise as safer and extra trendy alternate options.
“As regulatory scrutiny intensified globally and social stigma round smoking deepened, the tobacco trade recalibrated its technique by diversifying its portfolio and rebranding habit as innovation,” he stated.
He harassed that regardless of trade claims of lowered hurt, nicotine stays extremely addictive and poses severe well being dangers, significantly for younger individuals.
“Nicotine stays the central commodity, and its neurobiological influence, significantly on adolescents and younger adults, is nicely documented,” he said, including that youth concentrating on is “not an incidental advertising choice however a structural characteristic of a revenue mannequin that relies on recruiting new customers.”
Presenting findings from CAPPA’s surveillance carried out in Lagos, Enugu and the Federal Capital Territory between October and December 2025, Oluwafemi revealed that the examine documented 781 nicotine and tobacco-related merchandise, with 573 categorised as new and rising nicotine and tobacco merchandise.
He disclosed that e-cigarettes accounted for 522 of the recognized objects, highlighting the size of market penetration throughout the nation.
Oluwafemi additionally raised considerations concerning the advertising of artificial nicotine merchandise as tobacco-free, describing such claims as deceptive.
“Scientific consensus confirms that artificial nicotine is pharmacologically similar in construction and impact to tobacco-derived nicotine. It’s equally addictive,” he stated.
The CAPPA govt director warned that weak age-verification programs on digital platforms are worsening youth publicity, noting that most of the merchandise are promoted on-line with minimal restrictions.
He additional dismissed arguments that rising nicotine merchandise function smoking cessation instruments, cautioning policymakers in opposition to adopting international fashions with out contemplating Nigeria’s realities.
“Our findings display that in Nigeria these rising merchandise are usually not primarily serving as bridges for entrenched grownup people who smoke in search of to stop. As an alternative, they’re being aggressively normalised amongst younger individuals,” he stated.
Oluwafemi urged Nigerian authorities to strengthen regulatory frameworks to cowl all nicotine merchandise and stop new habit cycles amongst younger populations.
“We due to this fact state unequivocally that the uncritical endorsement or permissive regulation of those merchandise would jeopardise Nigeria’s hard-won good points in tobacco management and threat entrenching a brand new cycle of nicotine dependence,” he warned.
He known as for coordinated motion amongst regulatory companies, stricter digital promoting controls, expanded taxation of rising nicotine merchandise, and intensified public consciousness campaigns.
Oluwafemi additionally emphasised the position of the media in shaping public understanding of the dangers related to rising nicotine merchandise, urging journalists to maintain scrutiny of trade narratives.
“We invite you to have interaction critically with the findings of this report as Nigeria confronts a brand new part within the wrestle to guard its individuals, particularly its youth, from the evolving structure of nicotine habit,” he stated.
Sunday Ehigiator
Times Nigeria