A senior medical practitioner, Dr. Leo Odudu, has called on the government to sponsor anti-tobacco campaigns in local languages to help curb tobacco use across the country.
Odudu, the Medical Director of Emel Hospital, FESTAC, Lagos, made the call in an interview with reporters in Lagos on Friday ahead of World No Tobacco Day, observed annually on May 31.
World No Tobacco Day was established in 1987 by the World Health Organization to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco use and promote effective tobacco control measures.
The 2026 theme, **“Unmasking the Appeal – Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction,”** focuses on exposing how tobacco and nicotine industries use flavoured products, digital marketing and lifestyle branding to attract young people and sustain addiction.
The campaign also highlights the need to protect vulnerable groups, particularly women, girls and youths, from targeted marketing and misleading “harm-reduction” narratives.
Odudu said one of the biggest challenges in tackling tobacco use was inadequate public education on its dangers and addictive nature.
He noted that low literacy levels among parts of the population were being exploited by the tobacco industry.
“Statistics show that tobacco use in various forms is more common among the uneducated rural population.
“This group also faces challenges such as malnutrition and poor access to healthcare, which compound the harmful effects of tobacco use.
“The government is focusing more on the economic benefits and paying less attention to the health consequences.
“Printing warnings on cigarette packets that smokers are likely to die young is not enough deterrence, as many heavy smokers do not buy cigarettes in packets,” he said.
Odudu acknowledged ongoing public awareness campaigns by healthcare professionals but stressed that more efforts were needed to address the problem.
He advocated continuous public education, improved economic opportunities for citizens, and greater involvement of churches, mosques, market associations and social clubs in anti-tobacco campaigns.
According to him, the government should strengthen policies against tobacco use and abuse and sponsor awareness campaigns in local languages to reach a wider audience.
He also urged authorities to tighten regulations on the establishment of tobacco industries and strengthen border controls to prevent the influx of restricted tobacco-related products into the country.
