The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on the Federal Government to fully regulate all nicotine products to curb addiction and safeguard public health.
Oluwafemi Akinbode, Executive Director of CAPPA, made the call at a news briefing on Tuesday in Lagos.
He shared findings from CAPPA’s latest report titled “New Smoke Trap: New and Emerging Nicotine and Tobacco Products, Youth Exposure and Policy Gaps in Nigeria.”
The study examines the rapid expansion of new-generation nicotine and tobacco products across Nigeria and interrogates their regulatory and public health implications, given the country’s youthful demographic and vulnerability to industry manipulation.
The products include e-cigarettes (vapes), nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco products, now highly visible in supermarkets and nightlife environments.
The report emphasizes that these products are aggressively promoted on digital platforms and disproportionately accessed by young people, normalizing nicotine consumption within youth culture.
Akinbode recommended integrating emerging nicotine products into the excise tax framework to prevent price differentials from driving youth experimentation.
He said the research identified 781 nicotine and tobacco products, 573 of which were new and emerging nicotine and tobacco products (NENTPs).
E-cigarettes made up 522 of these, showing deep market penetration.
Akinbode noted that nicotine pouches, though not widely available in stores, are gaining traction online, while heated tobacco products, still a small market, are being positioned for future growth.
He said this rise exposes a regulatory loophole, explaining that Nigeria’s tobacco control laws are outdated, focusing on traditional tobacco products and leaving newer nicotine delivery systems unregulated.
“Many of these products are marketed as ‘tobacco-free’ with synthetic nicotine, exploiting legal loopholes and creating a false sense of safety.”
He emphasized that scientific evidence shows synthetic nicotine is chemically identical to tobacco-derived nicotine and just as addictive.
“It binds to brain receptors, triggers dopamine, and can lead to dependence.
“High-dose exposure, common in these products, poses serious risks, especially to adolescents, whose developing brains are vulnerable to long-term effects like attention deficits, impulsivity, and increased addiction risk.”
Akinbode noted that these products are marketed online with barely any age checks, making them far more accessible to young people than traditional tobacco.
He called on the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Standards Organization of Nigeria, Ministry of Trade and Investment, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, and other agencies to harmonize their regulatory approaches.
He disclosed that the research identified divergent institutional understandings of these products, with some agencies viewing them primarily as commodities subject to trade standards and others recognizing their public health implications.
Such fragmentation allows industry players to exploit regulatory gaps.
Akinbode highlighted digital marketing as an urgent threat, with influences and algorithms normalizing nicotine use among youths.
“Unless advertising and promotional loopholes are closed decisively, Nigeria will continue to witness the normalization of nicotine consumption within online youth culture.”
He stressed that public education must be revitalized to clarify that nicotine is addictive and harmful even without smoke.
Akinbode said Nigeria’s tobacco control future depends on evidence, unified regulation, and political courage—not industry narratives.
On the study methodology, he said the research—conducted between October and December 2025—involved field surveillance in Lagos, Enugu, and the FCT, combined with digital monitoring.
Prof. Lekan Ayo-Yusuf of the Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research (ATIM) said Nigeria could act early before nicotine dependence becomes widespread and deeply rooted.
Ayo-Yusuf said the report provides evidence to act decisively, close gaps, align policy with evolving markets, and protect young people from a new cycle of nicotine dependence.
