By Robert Egbe
As the world marks World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) on May 31, the tobacco industry is once again attempting to reinvent itself through a parallel campaign known as “World Vape Day.”
Unlike World No Tobacco Day, which was established by the to draw attention to the devastating health, social, economic and environmental consequences of tobacco use, World Vape Day enjoys no recognition from the WHO, the United Nations, or any credible international public health institution.
It is, in reality, a sophisticated marketing campaign designed to normalise nicotine addiction and expand the tobacco industry’s customer base, especially among young people.
The industry’s strategy is not new. For decades, tobacco companies denied the dangers of smoking, manipulated scientific evidence and targeted vulnerable populations.
Today, as cigarette consumption declines in many countries, the same industry is aggressively promoting electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products and other emerging nicotine devices as supposedly safer alternatives.
Yet the evidence tells a different story.
In 2009, banned electronic smoking devices, including e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
Although regulators left room for manufacturers to seek approval if they could demonstrate that their products were safe and reduced harm, none has succeeded. Brazil’s health regulator, , required tobacco and nicotine companies to provide scientific proof supporting their claims. Nearly two decades later, the industry has failed to meet that burden.
Instead, growing evidence points to significant public health risks associated with these products, particularly among children and adolescents.
The tobacco industry continues to market vaping as a modern, innovative and less harmful alternative to smoking. This messaging has gained traction in several countries, contributing to a sharp increase in vaping among young people.
Today, more than 100 million people worldwide use vaping products, including an estimated 15 million children and adolescents. Alarmingly, available data show that children are now far more likely than adults to vape.
Nigeria is not immune to this growing threat.
A recent report by revealed that tobacco companies and their allies have exploited regulatory loopholes to introduce hundreds of new nicotine products into the Nigerian market. Many of these products are packaged with colourful designs, sweet flavours and attractive branding clearly intended to appeal to younger consumers. This should concern every parent, educator and policymaker.
The dangers are already becoming evident. Investigations have shown that vaping products and cigarettes are being sold to schoolchildren in some parts of the country despite laws prohibiting sales to minors. Meanwhile, thousands of Nigerian children are already using tobacco products daily, while nearly 30,000 Nigerians die annually from tobacco-related diseases.
Another example of the industry’s misleading tactics is the “Quit Like Sweden” campaign, which falsely suggests that Sweden’s success in reducing smoking rates is primarily due to widespread use of snus and nicotine pouches.
However, Swedish public health experts and cancer advocates have repeatedly clarified that Sweden’s progress is largely the result of decades of comprehensive tobacco-control measures, including higher taxes, advertising restrictions, smoke-free policies and accessible cessation services.
The tobacco industry prefers not to discuss these facts because they undermine its narrative.
What is also often concealed is that many young people who begin with vaping products eventually transition to conventional cigarettes, deepening nicotine dependence rather than escaping it. Far from being a solution, these products risk creating a new generation of nicotine users.
Recognising these dangers, dozens of countries have moved to restrict or ban vaping products altogether. Public health authorities worldwide continue to warn that nicotine is highly addictive and particularly harmful to developing brains.
Governments are increasingly responding not only through regulation but also through litigation.
Across the globe, tobacco companies face lawsuits seeking compensation for the enormous healthcare costs associated with smoking-related illnesses. In Nigeria, several state governments and the Federal Government are pursuing significant legal claims against over allegations relating to the manufacture and marketing of tobacco products.
This year’s World No Tobacco Day theme, “Unmasking the Appeal: Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction,” could not be more relevant.
Behind the sleek packaging, fruit flavours, influencer campaigns and celebrity endorsements lies the same objective that has driven the tobacco industry for generations: recruiting new users, sustaining addiction and protecting profits.
The public must not be deceived. World Vape Day is not a public health initiative. It is a carefully crafted marketing exercise designed to sanitise nicotine addiction and rehabilitate the image of an industry whose products continue to cause illness, suffering and death on a massive scale.
The appropriate response is not celebration but vigilance. Governments, health professionals, parents and communities must continue to expose these tactics and strengthen efforts to protect future generations from nicotine addiction.
World Vape Day deserves continued scrutiny, unmasking and rejection.
Egbe, a public health advocate at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), writes from Lagos.
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