Tobacco companies are deliberately marketing addictive nicotine products to children and teenagers in Nigeria, exploiting the country's large youth population through fruit flavours, sleek packaging, and social media campaigns that make smoking look trendy.
This year's World No Tobacco Day, marked on 31 May, focuses on unmasking how the industry recruits new users despite global efforts to reduce smoking. Globally, 40 million children aged 13 to 15 now use at least one tobacco product. More alarming: 15 million adolescents use e-cigarettes, and in many countries, more young people vape than adults smoke traditional cigarettes.
Audu, a 21-year-old from a community near Abuja, represents the human cost of this manipulation. He developed lung disease after early tobacco use, an illness that wrecked his education and prevented him from living a normal youth life. His story is not unique. The nicotine in these products damages developing brains and increases vulnerability to other substance dependencies.
The tobacco industry has simply rebranded itself. As public health policies tightened and cigarette smoking declined globally from 1.38 billion users in 2000 to 1.2 billion today, the companies pivoted. They created e-cigarettes, vapes, water pipes, shisha, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco products, all marketed as modern, fashionable, and safer than cigarettes. The branding is deliberate disinformation. Behind the appealing packaging and celebrity endorsements lies a calculated effort to hook a new generation on an addictive drug.
Nigeria is a prime target. The country has one of the world's largest youth populations, and the tobacco companies know it. E-cigarettes and nicotine products flood Nigeria's online platforms and informal markets, where regulation is weak and enforcement sporadic. The industry uses digital marketing, social media influencers, and advertising that portrays nicotine use as harmless and cool.
The government has not been passive. Nigeria passed the National Tobacco Control Act and aligned its regulations with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Public awareness campaigns highlight the risks. But these measures remain insufficient against an industry with deep pockets and sophisticated marketing strategies.
The WHO recognised this struggle by honouring the Nigeria Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) with a 2026 World No Tobacco Day Award in the African Region. The board prohibited the promotion and glamorization of tobacco and nicotine products in Nigerian films, using one of the country's most influential media spaces to reject the industry's narrative. It is one of the few victories in a battle where the tobacco companies still have the upper hand.
Nigeria must scale up tobacco control now. The window to prevent a new generation from nicotine addiction is closing. Without stronger enforcement, tighter online regulation, and continued public education, Nigeria risks becoming the industry's next major market.
