The Ekiti State Government has pledged to update its tobacco control law to address the growing availability and use of new and emerging tobacco and nicotine products, warning that these products pose a significant threat to public health, especially among young people.
The commitment was made on Thursday during a stakeholder engagement in Ado-Ekiti to commemorate World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2026. The event, themed “Unmasking the Appeal: Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction,” was organised by the Ekiti State Ministry of Health and Human Services in partnership with Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA).
The ministry also commended CAPPA for its sustained support for tobacco control efforts in the state and reaffirmed its commitment to preserving Ado-Ekiti’s smoke-free status while building on existing gains in tobacco control.
Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Human Services, Mrs. Sola Gbenga-Igotun, described World No Tobacco Day as “a day that gives hope to our people” and urged stakeholders to intensify efforts to combat tobacco and nicotine use.
She expressed concern over the increasing exposure of children to nicotine products.
“Some children as young as seven, eight and nine years old are already victims,” she said.
Highlighting the dangers posed by emerging nicotine products, Gbenga-Igotun urged parents and guardians to be more vigilant.
“Some of them are smoking, and these products are odourless, so you may not even notice,” she said. “Let us leave this place as advocates. We are speaking to our conscience that this is happening and destroying our young people. Let us take action.”
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Dr. Sunday Omoya, who represented the Commissioner, Mrs. Tosin Aluko-Ajisafe, stressed the need for collective action against tobacco and nicotine use.
“I am glad we are discussing this menace,” Omoya said. “We need to unmask whatever makes these products appealing. Why do people embrace smoking when it is clearly harmful to health? I pledge the support of our officers towards tackling this challenge.”
In a presentation titled “The Current State of Tobacco Control in Ekiti State and the Way Forward,” the Director of Public Health, Dr. Abayomi Ibrahim, disclosed that the state plans to review its tobacco control framework to include emerging tobacco and nicotine products.
He highlighted major milestones recorded by the state, including the 2012 Smoke-Free Law prohibiting smoking in public places, the Ado-Ekiti Declaration on World No Tobacco Day 2025 which designated the city as smoke-free, and increased public awareness among women and young people.
Ibrahim, however, noted that significant challenges remain. These include weak enforcement arising from limited monitoring capacity, inadequate funding, growing youth attraction to shisha and e-cigarettes, tobacco industry interference, and limited data for effective decision-making.
According to him, the way forward includes strengthening enforcement through the training of health officials and law enforcement officers, creating a dedicated budget line for tobacco control, and expanding youth-focused interventions such as school-based programmes and peer education initiatives.
He also recommended deeper community engagement involving traditional and religious leaders, a review of the state’s tobacco control law to reflect emerging realities and global best practices, and the establishment of stronger monitoring and evaluation systems.
Speaking on this year’s World No Tobacco Day theme, CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Mrs. Zikora Ibeh, commended Ekiti State for its leadership in tobacco control and praised the state’s efforts to maintain Ado-Ekiti’s smoke-free status.
According to her, the achievement demonstrates that tobacco control is not solely the responsibility of federal and state governments but requires the active participation of communities and citizens.
While noting that cigarettes remain the most visible tobacco products, Ibeh said the tobacco industry has shifted its focus to a new generation of nicotine products.
“Today, the industry is selling nicotine in different forms and devices,” she said. “Products such as vapes and nicotine pouches are being aggressively marketed both offline and online. They are packaged in colourful, attractive designs and often come in flavours such as apple, bubble gum and other sweet varieties that appeal to young people.
“These are deliberate tactics to recruit new users and sustain addiction. To mask the harshness of nicotine, the industry hides behind attractive flavours and misleading claims that these products are safer alternatives.
“We ask: safer alternatives to what? Smoking causes disease and death. Are these products safer alternatives to disease? Or to death?”
Ibeh also criticised the tobacco industry’s “Quit Like Sweden” campaign, describing it as misleading.
“The claim is that these products helped Sweden reduce smoking and that Nigeria should follow the same path. That is simply not true,” she said.
“Sweden’s progress was driven by comprehensive tobacco control policies, including strong regulations, public education, taxation, and restrictions on tobacco marketing – not by the tobacco industry’s products. Yet they continue to promote this false narrative.”
Warning that vaping and other emerging nicotine products pose serious health risks, she called for stronger regulation and tighter controls to protect young people from addiction.
Representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Ekiti State chapter, also expressed support for a smoke-free Ekiti, noting that both faith traditions discourage smoking because of its harmful effects on health and society.
