Photo: Public Health Experts at the Media Presentation of the new report on Smoke Trap
By: Daniel Kanu
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) today Thursday, 12th February, launched a new report raising alarm over the rapid spread of emerging nicotine and tobacco products in Nigeria and the growing exposure of young people to the devices amid regulatory gaps.
The report, titled “New Smoke Trap: New and Emerging Nicotine and Tobacco Products, Youth Exposure and Policy Gaps in Nigeria,” was presented at a media briefing in Lagos, where public health experts called for urgent regulatory reforms to prevent what they described as a new wave of nicotine addiction.
Speaking at the event, CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, in his welcome address said Nigeria’s tobacco control framework, though strengthened by the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 and the 2019 Regulations, was primarily designed to address combustible cigarettes and is now being strained by modern nicotine delivery systems.
“These devices are sleek in design, flavoured in ways that appeal to youth sensibilities, and marketed through youth-populated digital ecosystems,” Oluwafemi said.
“Yet beneath the aesthetics lies the same addictive substance that has anchored tobacco profits for over a century — nicotine.”
He warned that the industry has recalibrated its strategy globally, rebranding addiction as innovation and promoting e-cigarettes (vapes), nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products as “reduced-harm” alternatives, while aggressively targeting young consumers online and in lifestyle spaces.
Presenting the research findings, Zikora Ibeh, Assistant Executive Director, CAPPA, explained that between October and December 2025, CAPPA conducted structured surveillance across Lagos, Enugu and the Federal Capital Territory, combining physical retail monitoring with digital ecosystem tracking.
The study, she disclosed documented 781 nicotine and tobacco-related products, of which 573 were classified as new and emerging nicotine and tobacco products (NENTPs).
E-cigarettes accounted for 522 variants, making them the dominant category. These ranged from disposable vapes to refillable pod systems, often packaged in bright colours and designed to resemble everyday gadgets such as USB drives or cosmetic items.
Printed puff counts ranged from 600 to 50,000 puffs, while prices spanned entry-level and premium tiers, creating what researchers described as “low-cost entry points for experimentation” and higher-cost options for sustained use.
Nicotine pouches, though less visible in physical stores, were found to be proliferating online via platforms such as Jiji, Jumia and Instagram, with nationwide delivery options.
Zikora said the study documented 38 nicotine pouch products, with nicotine strengths ranging from 3mg to as high as 100mg per pouch.
Researchers raised concerns over overdose risks and rapid addiction potential, especially in an unregulated market where some brands did not clearly display nicotine levels on packaging.
Only 13 heated tobacco products were documented, suggesting early-stage market penetration. These were priced between ₦65,000 and ₦70,000 and appeared to target affluent consumers.
A key finding of the report challenges the industry narrative that emerging products primarily help adult smokers quit.
“Particularly concerning is the evidence that these products are expanding pathways to nicotine initiation,” Ibeh said, noting that some young users who had never smoked were engaging with flavoured disposable devices perceived as modern and socially acceptable.
Field accounts indicated progression patterns, with users moving from lower to higher nicotine concentrations as tolerance developed and switching between products depending on context — vaping socially, using pouches in formal settings and, in some cases, continuing cigarette use.
CAPPA argued that rather than replacing combustible tobacco, emerging products are layering new consumption formats onto the existing tobacco environment.
The report highlighted definitional loopholes in Nigeria’s tobacco laws. The National Tobacco Control Act defines tobacco products largely in relation to tobacco leaf content, creating ambiguity for products containing synthetic nicotine but no tobacco leaf.
As a result, advertising restrictions and excise taxes that clearly apply to cigarettes and shisha do not consistently extend to vapes and nicotine pouches.
Smoke-free laws also do not explicitly cover aerosol-producing or smokeless products.
CAPPA further noted divergent interpretations among government agencies, with health authorities treating the products as public health risks, while trade and standards bodies approach them as consumer goods.
“This fragmentation creates opportunities for regulatory arbitrage by industry actors,”
Speaking on the recommendations needed, Martins Olumide Ogunlade, Associate Director, CAPPA, submitted the following from the findings of the report.
“Strengthen Regulatory Oversight of Nicotine and Tobacco Products Regardless of Form
Authorities should extend regulatory oversight to all tobacco and nicotine products regardless of form, technology or delivery mechanism. Regulation must be anchored in the presence of nicotine as the active addictive substance rather than in whether a product contains tobacco leaf or produces smoke. This ensures that emerging devices cannot evade safeguards by exploiting definitional gaps.
” Integrate Emerging Products into Fiscal and Market Controls
All nicotine delivery systems should be incorporated into the excise tax framework so that affordability does not drive youth experimentation or product substitution. At the same time, digital promotion, influencer marketing and online sales channels must be explicitly regulated, and age-verification systems must be enforceable, technologically robust and subject to compliance monitoring.
“Bolster Cross-Agency Coordination
Government institutions responsible for health, trade, standards, taxation, customs and consumer protection should operate under a unified national framework for nicotine product regulation. Institutional fragmentation currently creates enforcement gaps that allow products to circulate between jurisdictions without consistent oversight.
“Close Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship Loopholes
All restrictions that apply to conventional tobacco products should be extended to cover every nicotine product category, including emerging devices. This includes prohibiting youth-oriented branding, flavour-based marketing, lifestyle advertising and indirect digital promotion that circumvents existing rules.
“Rebuild Public Understanding of Nicotine Risks
National public education strategies should prioritise clear, evidence-based communication on what nicotine is, how dependence develops, and why the absence of smoke does not imply the absence of harm. Such campaigns should be sustained, youth-focused and integrated into schools, universities and community health platforms.”
CAPPA called for harmonised action by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and other relevant bodies.
In a virtual presentation, Professor Lekan Ayo-Yusuf of the Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research underscored global lessons for Nigeria.
He urged regulators to “regulate nicotine, not just tobacco products,” noting that in many countries, industry innovation outpaced policy adaptation.
“These products, if presented as cessation aids or reduced-harm alternatives, should be tested and regulated as medicine by NAFDAC,” he said.
Ayo-Yusuf added that international experience shows youth uptake rises rapidly where marketing restrictions — especially online — are delayed. He cautioned against importing harm-reduction narratives such as the “Quit Like Sweden” model without considering Nigeria’s context, including its relatively low smoking prevalence and large youth population.
“With smoking prevalence of less than five per cent in Nigeria and less than 10 per cent in most African countries, the region needs to double down on harm prevention, not harm reduction,” he said.
Also speaking, Mary-Ann Etiebet MD, MBA, CEO, and President Vital Strategies
underscored the importance of Protecting Youth from Nicotine Addiction.
Etiebet noted that the tobacco and nicotine industries are shifting their focus to youth through modern product design, digital marketing and weak regulatory environments — a trend that threatens years of progress in tobacco control and could create a new generation dependent on addictive products.
She harped on local challenges within global trends, pointing out that while smoking rates have declined in many countries, use of new nicotine products — like e-cigarettes, vapes and pouches — is increasing among younger people.
This, according to her underscores the urgency for updated policy frameworks that are product-neutral and protect public health.
She made case for need for strong, evidence-driven policy regulations that address all nicotine delivery systems, not just traditional tobacco products.
Etiebet also highlighted the importance of meaningful health taxes and regulatory controls to deter uptake, generate revenue for health systems and reduce disease burden — a stance that dovetails with CAPPA’s recommendations at the event.
Etiebet called for support for comprehensive public health action.
She reinforced the need for a coordinated, multi-agency response in Nigeria — aligning health, trade, standards and consumer protection bodies — to close regulatory gaps and forestall industry tactics that exploit definitional loopholes in existing laws.
