By Kingsley Samuel
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, has written to the National Assembly, demanding comprehensive legislative records on the National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, amid concerns that proposed changes could weaken Nigeria’s tobacco-control framework.
CAPPA, in a Freedom of Information, FOI, request dated August 13 and addressed to the Clerk of the Senate, said the records were necessary to establish the legislative history of the Bill, promote transparency and clarify how provisions considered harmful to public health were introduced into the consolidated version.
The organisation said it was particularly concerned about provisions which the Nigeria Tobacco Control Community, a coalition of more than 100 civil society organisations, public health advocates and tobacco-control stakeholders, has described as potentially creating regulatory openings for tobacco and nicotine companies.
CAPPA said, “This request is made in the interest of promoting public health, accountability, and transparency,” stressing that the request specifically concerned the legislative history of the National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The organisation asked the National Assembly to provide certified copies of the Senate and House of Representatives Votes and Proceedings covering every stage of the Bill’s consideration.
It requested records of the first and second readings, committee referrals, consideration of committee reports, third reading and passage, as well as the dates of each stage.
CAPPA also demanded the names and constituencies of sponsors and co-sponsors, records of divisions or recorded votes, relevant committee reports, details of public hearings and stakeholder submissions, and the current status of the Bill, including whether it had been transmitted for presidential assent.
The organisation invoked Sections 1(1), 2(3)(f) and 4 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, and requested that the information be supplied within the statutory seven-day period.
The request followed concerns raised by the Nigeria Tobacco Control Community at a press briefing in Abuja on August 9, where the coalition called for the immediate recall of the consolidated Bill and a fresh, transparent, public health-led review.
The coalition alleged that some controversial provisions in the consolidated Bill were not contained in versions presented at the public hearing of November 22, 2024.
It therefore demanded explanations on “how the provisions subsequently entered the consolidated Bill,” as well as who introduced provisions it considers concessions to tobacco and nicotine interests and which public health institutions reviewed them.
The groups warned that proposed amendments relating to non-combustible nicotine products, advertising and promotion, online sales, point-of-sale promotion, product sampling, packaging and penalties could weaken existing safeguards under the National Tobacco Control Act, 2015.
They particularly criticised provisions they said could allow promotion of non-combustible products through adult publications, point-of-sale materials and online platforms, as well as sponsorship of cultural, social and recreational events.
The coalition also raised concerns over proposed changes to online sales, product sampling and the classification of heated tobacco products.
According to the groups, Nigeria’s large youth population and the rapid spread of digital content make it difficult to guarantee that exemptions ostensibly designed for adults would not expose young people to tobacco and nicotine marketing.
The coalition maintained that any review of Nigeria’s tobacco-control laws should strengthen protections against tobacco-related diseases and nicotine addiction.
It said emerging nicotine products should be addressed through stronger regulation rather than provisions that could create loopholes for promotion and commercial exploitation.
The groups consequently called for the immediate recall of the consolidated Bill, insisting that any further review must be transparent, inclusive and guided primarily by public-health considerations.
CAPPA said the requested legislative records would help the public understand the origin, evolution and consideration of the controversial provisions and ensure accountability in the lawmaking process.
