Follow Us on Google
From Idu Jude, Abuja
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has invoked the Freedom of Information Act to demand detailed legislative records on the National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, amid concerns that some proposed changes could weaken tobacco-control measures in Nigeria.
In a letter dated August 13 and addressed to the Clerk of the Senate, CAPPA requested certified copies of records showing how the controversial provisions entered the Bill and how the legislation progressed through the National Assembly.
The organisation said the request was aimed at establishing the Bill’s legislative history, promoting transparency in the lawmaking process and clarifying the origin of provisions that public health groups consider harmful.
CAPPA requested the Senate and House of Representatives’ Votes and Proceedings covering every stage of the Bill, including first and second readings, committee referral, consideration of committee reports, third reading and passage.
It also asked for 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 and whether it has been transmitted to the President for assent.
CAPPA invoked Sections 1(1), 2(3)(f) and 4 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, and asked the National Assembly to provide the requested information within the statutory seven-day period.
The organisation said the documents could be supplied electronically or as certified physical copies where applicable.
The request followed concerns raised by the Nigeria Tobacco Control Community, a coalition of more than 100 civil society organisations, public health advocates and tobacco-control stakeholders, over the contents of the consolidated Bill.
At a press briefing in Abuja on August 9, the coalition called for the immediate recall of the Bill, alleging that some of its provisions could weaken safeguards contained in the National Tobacco Control Act, 2015, and create regulatory openings for tobacco and nicotine companies.
The groups raised concerns over proposed provisions relating to non-combustible nicotine products, advertising and promotion, online sales, point-of-sale promotion, product sampling, packaging and penalties.
They also questioned the legislative history of some of the provisions, claiming that controversial clauses were absent from versions of the legislation presented at a public hearing on November 22, 2024.
The coalition has consequently demanded clarification on how the provisions entered the consolidated Bill and who introduced or reviewed them.
“This request is made in the interest of promoting public health, accountability, and transparency,” CAPPA said in its letter to the Clerk of the Senate.
The group argued that any review of Nigeria’s tobacco-control laws to address emerging nicotine products should strengthen existing safeguards rather than weaken them.
It expressed particular concern about provisions it said could allow promotion of non-combustible nicotine 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 about proposed changes concerning online sales, product sampling and the classification of heated tobacco products.
It argued that Nigeria’s large youth population and the widespread use of digital platforms could expose young people to tobacco and nicotine marketing despite proposed exemptions targeted at adults.
The tobacco-control groups are therefore calling for the consolidated Bill to be recalled and subjected to a fresh, transparent review led by public health considerations.
