Karu: The Executive Director of Cedars Refuge Foundation (CRF), Mr. Peter Unekwu-Ojo, has urged the Federal Government to impose a ban on all flavoured tobacco and nicotine products in Nigeria. Unekwu-Ojo made this appeal during the launch of the Students Congress Against Tobacco (SCAT) initiative at Lyngra Private Montessori School in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the programme represents the start of what CRF calls a ‘tobacco-free revolution’ among Nigerian youths. Addressing the students, Unekwu-Ojo highlighted the dangers of tobacco use and the misleading strategies used by the global tobacco industry. He explained that the SCAT initiative, a key advocacy programme of CRF, aims to unveil and combat these tactics.
Unekwu-Ojo emphasized the need for immediate federal intervention, advocating for a nationwide ban on flavoured tobacco and nicotine products. He also called for the implementation of school-based prevention programmes, increased tobacco taxation, stricter penalties for illegal marketing to minors, and enhanced support for grassroots youth advocacy platforms like SCAT.
‘The tobacco industry is a well-dressed cartel selling flavoured slavery. They are not selling lifestyle; they are selling addiction, bubble-wrapped in mango flourish and influencer smiles that end up destroying young lives,’ Unekwu-Ojo stated. He added that SCAT, now active in schools across Abuja and Nasarawa State, promotes in-school advocacy, peer-led clubs, creative campaigns, and dialogue with educational stakeholders.
Unekwu-Ojo noted the tobacco industry’s focus on young people through flavoured products, digital marketing, and new nicotine devices disguised as harmless lifestyle accessories. ‘It’s the same poison, just packaged in sleek tech and tropical flavours,’ he remarked. He described the visit to Lyngra Montessori School as transformative, asserting that students left ‘informed and ignited’ with the motivation to safeguard their future.
Mr. Abba Owoicho, CRF’s Programme/Operations Officer, stressed the need for systemic reforms and coordinated efforts across sectors. ‘We are witnessing a silent epidemic thriving on ignorance and regulatory loopholes. SCAT is not just a campaign; it’s a counter-offensive. We must enforce existing laws, reform policies, and dismantle the glamorous myths around tobacco. The youth are awake, we must match their passion with protection,’ he said.
Mrs. Blessing Onu, Head Teacher at Lyngra Private Montessori School, expressed support for the initiative and announced plans to establish a Tobacco-Free Club at the school to help students resist harmful influences. ‘Our students will not be left defenceless in the face of such a manipulative industry,’ she said.
Mr. Pius Nnaemeka, a senior teacher at the school, issued a call to action to national stakeholders, urging them to take decisive steps to protect the youth. Miss Blessing Obiabo, a senior secondary school student, echoed the urgency of the message, declaring, ‘We are not fools, this is our future, and we are taking it back. We need to tell the tobacco industry to stop poisoning our lungs and dulling our dreams.’
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the SCAT programme is set to expand to 30 schools across the country by the end of 2025, with the aim of building a national youth network committed to a smoke-free generation. Cedars Refuge Foundation, a public health and youth advocacy nonprofit, is dedicated to creating resilient, tobacco-free communities in Nigeria and across Africa, empowering the next generation to challenge the influence of the tobacco industry.