By Elvira Jordan
Public health advocates have raised a stiff warning against proposed amendments to Nigeria’s National Tobacco Control Act, cautioning that the legislation could unravel years of progress and expose young people to increased nicotine addiction.
Speaking during an interview on ExceedFM, Phillip Jakpor, Executive Director of the Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), criticized the bill for attempting to dilute existing safeguards under the guise of “harm reduction.”
Jakpor argued that the concept is being weaponized by the tobacco industry to introduce and expand the market for alternative nicotine delivery systems, such as heated tobacco devices. While these emerging products are frequently marketed as safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes, scientific evidence confirms they carry significant health risks.
“The use of the word ‘harm reduction’ itself betrays what the amendment of the bill is all about,” Jakpor said. “Research has shown that while consumers may not be exposed to some toxic compounds found in burnt products, they are exposed to other toxic substances.”
He emphasized that the industry’s ultimate strategy is customer retention rather than cessation. “The intent is not to get people to stop smoking but to move them to other products that also contain nicotine. So, it is moving from one addiction to another, and that is what this bill is promoting.”
According to Jakpor, the push to alter the nation’s framework is not new. He revealed that tobacco manufacturers have been maneuvering for legislative changes since around 2020 to establish a permissive environment for alternative nicotine products.
Highlighting specific concerns in the draft, Jakpor singled out a newly introduced subsection 6 under Section 12, warning it contains critical loopholes that could facilitate easy, unregulated online sales to minors.
If passed, he warned, the bill would roll back key public health milestones achieved since the enactment of the National Tobacco Control Act in 2015 and its subsequent regulations in 2019.
Calling on the Federal Government and lawmakers to reject the proposed bill entirely, Jakpor urged policymakers to prioritize public health over commercial interests by strengthening existing regulations rather than creating entry points for new nicotine markets.
