The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

The tobacco industry has responded aggressively to successes recorded these past few years in the campaign towards getting the Nigerian government to introduce effective tobacco control laws. In Nigeria , British American Tobacco (BAT) tactics include exploring loopholes in national laws and leveraging its Corporate Social Responsibility programmes to for public relations gains.

Tobacco control campaign received major boost in Nigeria with the success of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Nigeria ratified the FCTC on October 20, 2005. A law banning tobacco products advertisement on billboards, radio, television and newspapers took effect in the country on January 1st, 2004 while efforts are on-going for a comprehensive review of the country's Tobacco Control Act.

However, despite what was intended as a ban on tobacco advertisement, BAT continues to place ‘product' advertisement on its vans. It has also increased the number of posters pasted at on streets walls and at points of sale. In addition, the company continues to use billboards on major streets and newspapers for “non product” advertisements. The non-products advertisement are fed with materials from BAT's Corporate Social Responsibility programmes which includes, youth smoking campaign, anti-smuggling campaign, anti-counterfeit products campaign, youth empowerment centers and donations to government agencies among others.

The donations to government agencies and its CSR project has earned BAT political goodwill while its “non-product” advertisement has kept the company visible in public space despite the introduction of new laws.