Tobacco multinationals in Nigeria use intermediaries to ”clean their image and grow their businesses”, thereby undermining the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a new report has shown.
The report, relying on surveys carried out by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa across Nigeria with support from the African Tobacco Control Alliance , exposes how tobacco multinationals undertake partnerships with the Nigerian government, and how several entities organise events and implement programmes that promote tobacco industry initiatives.
It also documents how tobacco companies hide behind front groups to promote educational initiatives, how front groups whitewash tobacco industry image through environmental projects, and how tobacco companies use fronts to organise training and seminars.