Nigeria’s tobacco regulatory framework faces renewed uncertainty after more than 80 civil society organisations called for the immediate withdrawal of the National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, warning that the legislation could weaken public health safeguards while reshaping the country’s commercial landscape for tobacco and emerging nicotine products.
The coalition, which includes the Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation in Africa (CAPPA), Gatefield Impact, the Nigerian Cancer Society and the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), urged the National Assembly to recall the bill and called on President Bola Tinubu to withhold assent if it is eventually transmitted for approval.
The proposed legislation, which seeks to amend the National Tobacco Control Act, 2015, expands regulatory coverage to emerging nicotine products such as electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches. However, the coalition argues that several provisions would dilute existing restrictions rather than strengthen oversight, creating what it described as a more commercially permissive regulatory environment.
According to the groups, the bill would permit online sales, courier deliveries, retail product displays and product sampling for certain non-combustible nicotine products, activities that are either prohibited or tightly restricted under the current legal framework. They contend that these changes would significantly broaden market access for manufacturers and distributors while increasing consumer exposure.
The coalition also criticised provisions that would permit tobacco advertising in publications where at least half of readers are adults. It argued that such a threshold does not adequately reflect Nigeria’s youthful population and could expose younger audiences to tobacco marketing despite existing public health protections.
Another major concern centres on the bill’s treatment of heated tobacco products. Civil society organisations argue that classifying these products as “non-combustible” could exempt tobacco-containing products from some provisions of tobacco control legislation, potentially creating regulatory inconsistencies and legal uncertainty for manufacturers, distributors and enforcement agencies.
The debate comes as Nigeria implements a new three-year excise duty framework for tobacco products covering 2026 to 2028. The policy retains the existing 30 per cent ad valorem tax while providing only modest annual increases in the specific excise component. Public health advocates have argued that the increases remain below inflation and are unlikely to significantly discourage tobacco consumption, while industry participants have generally welcomed the policy’s predictability.
For investors, the controversy introduces another layer of regulatory risk into Nigeria’s tobacco and nicotine products market. The eventual outcome could influence market entry strategies, product portfolios, compliance costs and long-term investment decisions for multinational tobacco companies and domestic operators seeking exposure to reduced-risk nicotine products.
The coalition has also demanded the release of committee reports, stakeholder submissions and voting records relating to the bill’s passage, while seeking clarification on the position of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. With the legislation attracting increasing scrutiny, its eventual fate is likely to shape not only Nigeria’s tobacco control regime but also the future direction of investment in one of Africa’s largest consumer markets.
