Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has filed a Freedom of Information request with the National Assembly, demanding comprehensive legislative records on the National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
This is contained in a Statement signed by Robert Egbe, Media and Communications Officer, CAPPA and made available to TV360.
According to the Statement, the request, dated August 13 and addressed to the Clerk of the Senate, 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 provisions in the consolidated Bill which they said could weaken Nigeria’s tobacco-control framework.
CAPPA said it wants the records to establish the legislative history of the Bill, promote transparency in the lawmaking process and determine how provisions considered harmful to public health were incorporated into the current consolidated text.
Specifically, the organisation requested certified copies of the Senate and House of Representatives Votes and Proceedings covering every stage of the Bill’s consideration, 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 current status of the Bill, including 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 requested that the National Assembly provide the information within the statutory seven-day period.
The organisation said the records could be supplied electronically or as certified physical copies, where applicable.
The development comes after the Nigeria Tobacco Control Community, at a press briefing in Abuja on August 9, called for the immediate recall of the consolidated Bill, alleging that some of its provisions could create regulatory openings for tobacco and nicotine companies.
The coalition raised concerns over proposed changes relating to non-combustible nicotine products, advertising and promotion, online sales, point-of-sale promotion, product sampling, packaging and penalties.
It also questioned the legislative history of some of the controversial provisions, claiming that they were not contained in the versions of the legislation presented at a public hearing on November 22, 2024.
The groups therefore demanded clarification on how the provisions subsequently found their way into the consolidated Bill and who introduced 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 coalition further questioned which public-health institutions reviewed the provisions and argued that any effort to update Nigeria’s tobacco-control laws to address emerging nicotine products should strengthen rather than weaken safeguards against tobacco-related diseases and nicotine addiction.
It particularly objected to provisions it said could permit forms of promotion of non-combustible products through adult publications, point-of-sale materials and online platforms, as well as sponsorship of cultural, social and recreational events.
The coalition also expressed concerns about proposed changes to online sales, product sampling and the classification of heated tobacco products.
It argued that, given Nigeria’s large youth population and the rapid spread of digital content, exemptions ostensibly targeted at adults could expose young people to tobacco and nicotine marketing.
The tobacco-control community has consequently called for the immediate recall of the consolidated Bill and a fresh, transparent and public-health-led review of the proposed amendments.
