CSOs warn Nigerian delegation: “Stand Up for Public Health, Not Big Tobacco” at COP11

By Johnson Arua

Civil society organisations working in tobacco control have issued a strong warning to Nigeria’s delegation attending the Eleventh Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the, World Health Organization, WHO, Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), which opens tomorrow in Geneva, Switzerland.

In a joint statement released on Sunday, the groups cautioned the delegation against bowing to pressure from the tobacco industry or its proxies, whom they accuse of launching a renewed global campaign to infiltrate the negotiations and promote nicotine-based products such as e-cigarettes under the guise of “harm reduction.”

The organisations, Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Gatefield, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), Centre for Youth Inclusion and Development, and other public health advocates-said the Nigerian team must not “sell out the country’s public health.”

“We are aware that the tobacco industry and its front groups are working overtime to manipulate discussions at COP11,” the groups said. “They are pushing narratives that normalise nicotine addiction and weaken existing tobacco control measures. Nigeria must not be complicit in this devious strategy.”

They demanded that the government and its delegates reject any form of tobacco industry-linked funding, partnerships, or influence, insisting that delegates strictly adhere to the National Tobacco Control Act, which bars government officials from financial or non-financial relationships with the tobacco industry or its proxies.

The organisations also reminded the delegation of Nigeria’s obligations under Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC, which mandates parties to protect public health policies from the commercial interests of tobacco companies.

“Now more than ever, Nigerians are watching,” the groups warned. “Delegates will be held fully accountable for any action that undermines the fight against tobacco and nicotine addiction.”

The statement accused multinational tobacco corporations of attempting to expand their markets across Africa by pushing novel nicotine products, which it described as the “new faces of the same deadly business.”

“These nicotine-based products touted by the industry as less harmful alternatives to smoking are not solutions; they are traps,” the groups said. “The same companies that created a century of death and addiction now want to rebrand themselves as part of the solution. It is deception at its peak, and Nigeria must not fall for it.”

They further noted that tobacco kills more than seven million people annually, adding that the industry is now targeting young people with “shiny gadgets, false marketing, and the manipulation of regulatory officials.”

The CSOs urged the Nigerian delegation to show leadership and protect citizens from addiction and exploitation during the global talks.

“Nigeria’s delegates must go to Geneva to defend life, not profit,” the statement stressed. “Nigerians will hold them accountable for any positions that promote the interests of the tobacco industry.”

Describing industry interference as the greatest obstacle to effective tobacco control, the organisations warned that legitimising novel nicotine products could reverse progress recorded under the National Tobacco Control Act.

“We call on Nigerian delegates to stand firm with the global public health community, resist any form of industry influence, and support decisions that advance a tobacco-free future,” the statement concluded.

COP11 will run from November 17-22, with Parties expected to take key decisions aimed at preventing nicotine addiction and strengthening global public health. The Meeting of the Parties (MOP), scheduled for November 24-26, will focus on the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.