A coalition of Nigerian tobacco control and public health organizations has called for the immediate recall of the National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, arguing that it would weaken the country’s existing tobacco regulations by creating a more permissive framework for e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, nicotine pouches and other non-combustible nicotine products. The groups urged the National Assembly to withdraw the legislation and called on President Bola Tinubu to reject it if passed.
The coalition said the bill would allow broader advertising, online sales, retail displays and product sampling for non-combustible products while weakening packaging, health warning and disclosure requirements. It also argued that the proposal conflicts with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control by treating heated tobacco products differently from conventional tobacco products. The organizations called for all tobacco and nicotine products to remain subject to a single regulatory framework and urged lawmakers to publish legislative records related to the bill’s development.