Nigeria Slips in 2025 Tobacco Industry Interference Ratings

 

Nigeria has slipped further in the global ranking of countries protecting their public health policies from tobacco industry influence, according to the 2025 Nigeria Tobacco Industry Interference (TII) Index released in Lagos on Thursday.

The report, produced by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), shows that Nigeria’s score worsened from 60 in 2023 to 62 in 2025, indicating growing interference from tobacco corporations in policymaking. Out of 100 countries assessed globally, Nigeria now ranks 54th.

The findings, covering April 2023 to March 2025, form part of a global civil society-led initiative grounded in Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC), which warns that the interests of the tobacco industry and public health are irreconcilable.

In his opening remarks, CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said the Index exposes how the tobacco industry continues to exploit weak enforcement of Nigeria’s tobacco control laws to disguise itself as a partner in national development.

“Despite operating a business of addiction, disease, and death, tobacco companies continue to gain access – strategically and persistently – into Nigeria’s policy spaces,” he said. “This year’s score of 62 confirms that industry interference remains a systemic threat to our public health architecture.”

Oluwafemi noted that the industry’s so-called corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives — such as borehole donations, scholarships, and reforestation drives — are used to mask interference and buy legitimacy.

“These are not acts of generosity but manipulations designed to whitewash an image built on addiction and profit,” he warned. “Even worse, government officials continue to attend and praise these events, helping the industry greenwash its deadly business.”

He described the tobacco industry’s growing participation in policy discussions as “deeply troubling,” particularly regarding emerging nicotine products such as e-cigarettes, snus, and other novel products marketed as harm-reduction tools.

“The tobacco industry is not a stakeholder in public health. Its interest is in selling more cigarettes, more nicotine, and more death and disease,” Oluwafemi stressed.

While acknowledging progress in some areas, Oluwafemi pointed to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (FCCPC) $110 million fine against British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) in 2023 and the National Film and Video Censors Board’s ban on the glamorisation of smoking in Nollywood as major wins.

However, he lamented inconsistent policies, including the suspension of tobacco excise taxes in 2023, which reversed earlier gains and weakened Nigeria’s alignment with WHO and ECOWAS tax standards.

“Nigeria cannot afford to take one step forward and two steps back,” he said. “Strong laws mean little without consistent enforcement.”

Presenting the report, CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, said the 2025 Index assessed seven key areas: policymaking participation, CSR, benefits to the industry, unnecessary interaction, transparency, conflict of interest, and preventive measures.

She said the worsening score reflects how “for every rule that should keep the industry out of policymaking, another action quietly lets it in.”

The report’s findings include:

CSR as a Gateway: The British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) continues to partner with state ministries and local governments in defiance of national laws, using empowerment programmes as a “sophisticated strategy to embed itself in governance systems.”

Policy Reversal: The 2023 suspension of an increase in tobacco excise taxes weakened Nigeria’s fiscal and health response, shifting costs to citizens while protecting industry profits.

Political Proximity Persists: In the past two years, for instance, the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has been seen engaging with the industry and gracing its events. The symbolic power of such appearances far outweighs their ceremonial intent — they signal complicity.

Transparency Gaps: Despite Section 25 of the National Tobacco Control Act mandating disclosure of official interactions with the industry, most government agencies fail to make such information public.

Weak Preventive Systems: Few government officials have received training on Article 5.3 of the WHO-FCTC, leaving many unaware that participating in tobacco-funded events violates public health ethics.

“At 62 points, Nigeria’s interference score is a wake-up call,” Ibeh said. “Our laws are strong, but their guardianship is weak. The state legislates against tobacco influence but legitimises it through partnership and praise.”

The 2025 Index calls for urgent government action to strengthen policy independence and transparency in tobacco control. CAPPA’s recommendations include:

Enforce full disclosure of all government interactions with tobacco companies.

Ban tobacco industry-led CSR across all public institutions.

Strengthen conflict-of-interest safeguards requiring public officials to declare any personal or financial ties to tobacco companies.

Restore a predictable, inflation-adjusted tobacco tax system aligned with WHO and ECOWAS standards.

Enforce pictorial health warnings covering at least 60 percent of tobacco packaging.

Institutionalise Article 5.3 training within the public service.

Exclude tobacco companies from policy consultations and regulatory discussions, including those concerning emerging nicotine products.

Ibeh added: “To safeguard one, we must disentangle completely from the other. There can be no middle ground between public health and corporate interest.”

Oluwafemi concluded by urging the Nigerian government to see tobacco control not only as a health priority but as a matter of governance and democracy.

“What is at stake is not just the health of individual smokers but the health of our democracy – the ability of our public institutions to act independently of corporate capture,” he said.

The Nigeria Tobacco Industry Interference Index is part of a global project coordinated by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA). The Index aims to support governments and civil society in implementing Article 5.3 of the WHO-FCTC, which requires countries to protect public health policies from tobacco industry interference.