CAPPA Demands Senate Records on Tobacco Bill, Raises Public Health Alarm

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... Group seeks legislative documents, questions controversial provisions in amendment Bill


CAPPA's Executive Director Akinbode Oluwafemi


The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has filed a Freedom of Information request with the National Assembly, demanding comprehensive legislative records on the National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

The demand comes amid concerns by public health stakeholders that proposed amendments could weaken Nigeria’s tobacco-control framework and create regulatory openings for tobacco and nicotine companies.

In the request dated August 13 and addressed to the Clerk of the Senate, CAPPA asked for certified copies of the Senate and House of Representatives Votes and Proceedings covering every stage of the Bill’s consideration.

The organisation also requested the dates of each legislative stage, names and constituencies of sponsors and co-sponsors, records of divisions or recorded votes, relevant committee reports, details of public hearings and stakeholder submissions, as well as the Bill’s current status, including whether it has been transmitted for presidential assent.

CAPPA said the request was aimed at establishing the legislative history of the Bill, promoting transparency and clarifying how provisions considered harmful to public health found their way into the current consolidated text.

The organisation invoked Sections 1(1), 2(3)(f) and 4 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, and requested that the National Assembly provide the information within the statutory seven-day period.

The demand follows concerns raised by the Nigeria Tobacco Control Community, a coalition of more than 100 civil society organisations, public health advocates and tobacco-control stakeholders, which has called for the immediate recall of the Bill.

At a press briefing in Abuja on August 9, the coalition criticised provisions relating to non-combustible nicotine products, advertising and promotion, online sales, point-of-sale promotion, product sampling, packaging and penalties.

The groups also questioned the legislative history of some of the controversial provisions, claiming that they were not contained in versions of the legislation presented at a public hearing on November 22, 2024.

CAPPA said the FOI request was made in the interest of “promoting public health, accountability, and transparency,” while seeking answers on who introduced the provisions and which public-health institutions reviewed them.

The tobacco-control community argued that any update to Nigeria’s tobacco-control laws should strengthen, rather than weaken, safeguards against tobacco-related diseases and nicotine addiction.

It expressed particular concern over proposed provisions it said could permit forms of 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 further raised concerns over online sales, product sampling and the classification of heated tobacco products, warning that exemptions intended for adults could expose young people to tobacco and nicotine marketing, particularly given Nigeria’s large youth population and the rapid spread of digital content.

The groups have therefore called for the immediate recall of the consolidated Bill and a fresh, transparent and public-health-led review of the proposed amendments.

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