By Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has congratulated the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) and two Nigerian-born public health experts for emerging winners of the World Health Organisation’s World No Tobacco Day 2026 Awards.
The awards, announced by the WHO on Tuesday, recognised the NFVCB, Professor Olalekan Ayo-Yusuf of the University of Pretoria’s School of Health Systems and Public Health, and Professor Catherine Egbe of the South African Medical Research Council among five recipients from the African region.
The other African awardees are Nare Narcisse Mathurin of Burkina Faso and Louise Mapleh Kpoto of Liberia.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, CAPPA described the recognition as a testament to years of sustained advocacy and public health efforts aimed at strengthening tobacco control across Africa.
Dr.-Shaibu-Hussein-NFVCB-Director-General
CAPPA Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said the awards reflected the growing influence of African-led initiatives against tobacco industry interference and nicotine addiction.
“We warmly congratulate the NFVCB, Professor Catherine Egbe and Professor Olalekan Ayo-Yusuf on this well-deserved global recognition,” he said.
“Their work has strengthened tobacco control efforts not only in Nigeria but across the African continent. This honour is also a reminder that sustained advocacy, strong regulation and evidence-based public health policies can save lives.” The Statement read.
Oluwafemi particularly praised the NFVCB and its Director-General, Dr. Shaibu Hussein, for introducing regulations in 2024 banning the promotion and glamorisation of tobacco and nicotine products in Nigerian films, music videos and skits.
“At a time when the tobacco industry increasingly targets young people through popular culture and digital content, this policy sends a powerful message that public health must come before corporate profit.” He added.
The NFVCB had on May 21, 2024, unveiled regulations prohibiting the display, promotion and glamorisation of tobacco and nicotine products in Nollywood productions and related entertainment content.
Prof-Catherine-Egbe
The policy, approved by the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy and backed by the NFVCB Act of 1993, aligns with provisions of the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 and the National Tobacco Control Regulations 2019.
With the move, Nigeria became the first African country and the second in the world after India to introduce such restrictions in entertainment media.
The regulation followed years of advocacy under the #SmokeFreeNollywood campaign championed by CAPPA and the Nigerian Tobacco Control Alliance.
Prof-Ayo-Olalekan-Yusuf
CAPPA also congratulated other global recipients honoured by the WHO, including Yemeni Prime Minister Dr. Shaya Mohsin Zindani, who received the WHO Director-General’s Special Award.
A total of 38 individuals and organisations across Africa, the Americas, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia and the Western Pacific regions were recognised by the WHO this year.
Oluwafemi urged Nigerian authorities to build on the recognition by fully enforcing existing tobacco control laws.
“Recognition is important, but the bigger task remains protecting Nigerians, especially young people, from the devastating health and economic consequences of tobacco use,” he said.
World No Tobacco Day is observed annually on May 31. The 2026 theme, “Unmask the appeal – countering tobacco and nicotine addiction,” focuses on exposing tactics used by the tobacco and nicotine industry to attract young people into addiction.
