Get Guardian on GoogleThe Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA) has documented 42 incidents of tobacco industry activities allegedly undermining public health efforts in Nigeria.
NTCA raised concerns over the use of corporate social responsibility initiatives, digital marketing and entertainment platforms to advance industry interests.
The incidents, recorded between January and August 2026, occurred across the Federal Capital Territory and 10 states, including Lagos, Rivers, Ogun, Edo, Oyo, Kaduna, Abia, Nasarawa, Ondo and Katsina.
The findings are contained in a report titled How Tobacco Industry Undermines Public Health Rules in Nigeria, launched alongside the National Tobacco Control Resource Hub, an online platform providing journalists, researchers, policymakers and civil society organisations with access to tobacco control information.
Speaking at the launch, NTCA Board Chairman, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said sustained monitoring was necessary to expose tobacco industry activities and their implications for public health.
He identified some of the activities as agricultural and youth empowerment programmes, partnerships with government institutions and initiatives presented under gender equality, employment and rural development.
Oluwafemi also expressed concern over tobacco products displayed alongside sweets and other items commonly purchased by children, as well as online promotions of electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches.
He further highlighted smoking imagery in music videos, concert promotions and cultural events as emerging channels through which tobacco use was being promoted.
The NTCA Alliance Coordinator, Olawale Makanjoula, said independent, evidence-based monitoring was essential to identifying emerging industry strategies, promoting public accountability and strengthening tobacco control advocacy.
Similarly, the In-Country Coordinator of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), Michael Olaniyan, called for stronger protection of public health policies against tobacco industry influence and effective enforcement of existing tobacco control laws.
Olaniyan congratulated NTCA on the launch of the resource hub, saying it would improve access to information and support journalists, researchers and other stakeholders.
Also speaking, Executive Director of Development Initiative for Society Health, John Egla, stressed the importance of continuous monitoring and public awareness in exposing activities capable of undermining public health interventions.
According to the report, 15 of the 42 incidents, representing 35.7 per cent, involved corporate social responsibility activities and engagements with public institutions, while 27 incidents, representing 64.3 per cent, involved tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
The latter included online marketing, retail product displays and smoking imagery in entertainment and cultural events, highlighting how industry activities extend beyond direct product promotion into social development initiatives, public institutions and popular culture.
The report recommended stronger enforcement of the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 and the National Tobacco Control Regulations 2019, alongside safeguards against tobacco industry interference in public institutions and closer monitoring of retail outlets and digital marketing.
It also called for measures to address the promotion and glamorisation of tobacco use in entertainment and cultural spaces, while NTCA said the new resource hub would support research, media reporting, public education and advocacy for stronger tobacco control in Nigeria.
