By Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has described the tobacco industry’s promotion of “World Vape Day” as a deceptive campaign designed to attract new users to nicotine products, particularly young people.
In an opinion article dated May 30, 2026 and released ahead of World No Tobacco Day 2026, CAPPA’s public health advocate, Robert Egbe, argued that the annual vaping campaign lacks recognition from major global health institutions and serves primarily as a marketing strategy for tobacco and nicotine companies.
According to Egbe, countries such as Brazil have rejected claims that electronic smoking devices are safer alternatives to conventional cigarettes. He noted that Brazil’s health regulator, ANVISA, has maintained restrictions on e-cigarettes and similar products after manufacturers failed to provide sufficient scientific evidence supporting claims of reduced health risks.
”World Vape Day enjoys no recognition from the World Health Organization, the United Nations, or any credible international public health body,” Egbe stated.
The article highlighted growing concerns over the global rise in vaping, particularly among children and adolescents. Citing World Health Organization data, Egbe said more than 100 million people worldwide use vaping products, including an estimated 15 million children and teenagers.
He warned that Nigeria is increasingly becoming a target market for emerging nicotine products. A recent CAPPA report found that tobacco companies and their affiliates have introduced at least 573 new and emerging nicotine products into the Nigerian market through what the organisation described as regulatory loopholes.
The report said many of the products are packaged and flavoured in ways that appeal to younger consumers.
Egbe also referenced a 2024 investigation that reportedly found vendors in parts of Abuja selling cigarettes and vaping products to schoolchildren despite existing laws prohibiting sales to minors.
”Over 25,000 children between 10 and 14 years are daily tobacco users, while nearly 30,000 Nigerians die of tobacco-related illnesses annually,” he wrote.
The article further challenged claims made under the “Quit Like Sweden” campaign, which links Sweden’s declining smoking rates to the use of snus and nicotine pouches. Egbe said Swedish health authorities attribute the country’s progress largely to decades of tobacco-control measures, including taxation, advertising restrictions, smoking cessation support and smoke-free public spaces.
He maintained that vaping products often serve as an entry point to cigarette smoking and stronger nicotine dependence.
”What the industry conceals is that e-cigarettes and other so-called smoke-free nicotine devices are gateway drugs to smoking,” Egbe said.
The public health advocate noted that at least 47 countries currently prohibit the sale of vaping products, while governments in several jurisdictions continue to pursue legal action against tobacco companies over smoking-related health costs.
In Nigeria, the Federal Government and several states are pursuing legal claims reportedly valued at more than ₦10 trillion against British American Tobacco over allegations relating to the manufacture and marketing of tobacco products.
As part of this year’s World No Tobacco Day activities, CAPPA joined calls by the Make Big Tobacco Pay Alliance for greater accountability from tobacco companies.
Egbe said the 2026 World No Tobacco Day theme, “Unmasking the Appeal: Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction,” reflects the need to expose what he described as aggressive efforts to attract new nicotine users through flavoured products, social media promotion and celebrity endorsements.
”The public must not be deceived. World Vape Day is not a public health initiative. It is a marketing scam that deserves continued unmasking and rejection,” he stated.
