Nigeria: Tobacco Still Too Present in Cinema According to an NGO

The Nigerien non-governmental organization Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), has urged the country’s regulatory bodies as well as the film and cinema industry to comply with the new guidelines of the country’s Tobacco Control Act which prohibits the use, promotion or sponsorship of tobacco in films. CAPPA points to the normalisation of smoking in films and series produced in Nigeria in recent years.

CAPPA Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, spoke at the 2nd edition of the Lagos International Film and Cinema Convention on August 14-15, noting that Nollywood is the world’s second largest film producer, behind Bollywood in India, and its productions are watched by families and youths in Nigeria and abroad, and it is essential to protect them from images that encourage smoking.[1].

Nollywood Banned From Promoting Tobacco, Nicotine Brands

In May 2024, Nigeria introduced landmark measures to warn viewers of the risks of smoking and tobacco use in Nollywood films. Under the new measures, films or series that depict tobacco or nicotine use must display health warnings on screen at the beginning and end of films, in addition to the warnings that will appear on screen during sequences depicting tobacco or nicotine use. In addition, the measures prohibit the display of tobacco and nicotine brands on screen and the marketing of the brands in films. The measures cover films, music videos and skits produced in Nollywood, and also prohibit tobacco advertising at film premieres and screenings.

Since 2020, CAPPA has championed the cause by insisting on the implementation of measures aimed at banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship in the cinema and entertainment sector through its campaign #SmokeFreeNollywood. The World Health Organization (WHO)[2] and the Federal Ministry of Health of Nigeria supported the campaign through awareness raising and training for producers and industry stakeholders. In February, 183 parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) adopted new recommendations to restrict tobacco advertising in entertainment and social media. Nigeria’s new measures reflect the country’s commitment to fulfilling its obligations under this public health treaty.

While public health associations welcome this progress, Oluwafemi points out that the tobacco industry continues to target Nollywood through indirect marketing that involves product placement, product endorsements and numerous unnecessary smoking scenes in content.

Nigeria, a prime target for tobacco manufacturers

With nearly 200 million inhabitants, 43% of whom are under 15 years old, and its access to other countries in the region, Nigeria is a key market for the tobacco industry in Africa. Despite the country's ratification of the FCTC in 2005 and the establishment of a national tobacco control law, its provisions remain largely unimplemented due to heavy tobacco industry interference and lack of resources.[3]-[4]. A report from 2022[5] had denounced how the tobacco industry has captured the virtual space in Nigeria to aggressively promote both its tobacco products and smoking culture as well as its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. Major manufacturers like British American Tobacco, regularly organise music nights and cultural events in the Nigerian capital directly targeting the youth with free distribution of tobacco products.

©Tobacco Free Generation

AE

[1] Communicated, Why film industry must prioritize smoke-free Nollywood, CAPPA, published August 19, accessed August 21, 2024

[2] Communicated, #SmokeFreeNollywood campaign fights against smoking in Nigerian films, WHO, published May 31, 2021, accessed August 21, 2024

[3] Communicated, Industry interference major challenge to effective tobacco control-CAPPA, ATCA, November 2021, accessed August 21, 2024

[4] Generation without tobacco, Nigeria's Tobacco Control Law Remains Largely Unenforced, published June 19, 2024, accessed August 21, 2024

[5] CAPPA Urges Government to Regulate Tobacco Industry Activities in Nigeria’s Virtual Space, CAPPA, published June 21, 2022, accessed August 21, 2024