As governments around the world tighten tobacco regulations and public awareness of smoking-related harms grows, tobacco companies are increasingly turning to a new generation of nicotine products to sustain their market. Vapes, e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, heated tobacco products, and other emerging nicotine devices are being promoted as modern alternatives to conventional cigarettes. Public health advocates, however, warn that these products are opening new pathways into nicotine addiction, particularly among young people.
This concern was at the centre of a World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2026 press briefing organised by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) in Lagos on June 2. The event brought together journalists and media practitioners to examine the growing presence of emerging nicotine products in Nigeria and the strategies being used to market them.
The 2026 World No Tobacco Day theme, “Unmasking the Appeal: Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction,” focuses on exposing the tactics used by the tobacco industry to make nicotine use attractive and socially acceptable, especially among children and young people.
Opening the briefing, CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said the tobacco industry has responded to declining smoking rates and stronger regulations by introducing new nicotine products and presenting them as innovative alternatives to cigarettes. He noted that products such as disposable vapes, heated tobacco devices, nicotine pouches, and electronic cigarettes are frequently marketed using terms such as “smoke-free”, “clean nicotine”, “harm reduction”, and “tobacco-free”. These descriptions, he argued, often create the impression that the products are harmless or substantially safer than conventional tobacco products.
According to Oluwafemi, the industry is relying heavily on attractive packaging, flavoured products, social media marketing, and lifestyle branding to reach new consumers. He warned that the rapid expansion of these products presents a significant challenge for public health regulators and raises concerns about growing nicotine dependence among young Nigerians.
Product Design as a Marketing Strategy
In a presentation titled Unmasking the Tobacco Industry’s Strategies and the Growing Threat of Emerging Nicotine Products in Nigeria, CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, examined how emerging nicotine products are being designed and marketed to attract consumers. Presenting findings from CAPPA’s surveillance exercise conducted across Lagos, Enugu, and the Federal Capital Territory, she disclosed that researchers identified 781 tobacco and nicotine-related products, including 573 new and emerging nicotine products.
She noted that many of these products are intentionally designed to stand apart from traditional cigarettes. Some resemble flash drives, pens, cosmetics, toys, and small electronic gadgets. Their appearance makes them easier to conceal and less likely to attract attention from parents, teachers, and guardians. Flavouring is another important part of the industry’s strategy. Products are commonly sold in flavours such as mango, strawberry, bubble gum, vanilla, candy, mint, and menthol. These flavours help mask the harshness of nicotine and make experimentation more appealing, particularly among younger users.
According to Ibeh, the increasing availability of these products shows that Nigeria is already confronting a growing nicotine problem rather than a future risk. She welcomed Nigeria’s decision to include emerging nicotine products within the country’s excise updated tax regime but argued that taxation on its own would not be enough to address the challenge.
“A product can be taxed and still become fashionable,” she noted.
To address the problem more effectively, she called for a ban on flavoured nicotine and tobacco products, stronger restrictions on digital and traditional advertising, tighter controls on youth-oriented packaging, stricter enforcement of age restrictions, and the extension of smoke-free regulations to cover emerging nicotine products.
Tobacco and Popular Culture
Another concern raised during the briefing was the growing association between tobacco use and social status.
Ibeh pointed to the increasing visibility of cigar smoking at public and cultural events, including the Ojude Oba Festival, where tobacco products are sometimes presented as symbols of wealth, prestige, and sophistication. When tobacco use is linked to social success or cultural prestige, she argued, young people may become less likely to focus on the health consequences and more likely to see nicotine use as desirable.
She called on regulators, media practitioners, public health advocates, and cultural influencers to challenge narratives that present tobacco consumption as fashionable or aspirational.
The Public Health Implications
Providing a public health perspective, Dr. Goke Akinrogunde commended civil society organisations, government agencies, and public health advocates for their contributions to tobacco control efforts in Nigeria.
He cited an “insider information” stating that cigarette production in Nigeria has greatly declined, describing the reduction as evidence that public awareness campaigns and targeted regulations are producing results. At the same time, he warned that the growth of emerging nicotine products could undermine those gains if left unregulated.
Dr. Akinrogunde explained that nicotine remains a highly addictive substance capable of altering brain function and creating dependence. He noted that increased access to vapes, nicotine pouches, and related products is exposing more people to nicotine dependence while creating new routes into long-term addiction.
Beyond addiction, he highlighted the well-established links between tobacco and nicotine use and a range of serious health conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, respiratory illnesses, cancers, and other chronic diseases. He called for stronger regulation, increased public education, and greater investment in preventive measures to protect Nigerians from the health consequences of nicotine addiction.
