The Ekiti State Government has announced a ban on the public consumption of nicotine and tobacco products across the state.
The declaration was made on Friday during the launch of the Smoke-Free Project and the 2025 World No Tobacco Day campaign, held in collaboration with Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA).
Speaking at the event in Ado-Ekiti, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oyebanji Filani—represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Human Services, Mrs. Olusola Gbenga-Igotun—said the state is taking decisive steps to safeguard public health through coordinated anti-tobacco interventions.
Filani decried the harmful effects of tobacco use and called for tougher control measures. “We must empower communities with accurate information, strengthen regulations, and support those seeking to quit tobacco use,” he said. “Our youth deserve to grow up in environments free from the manipulation of profit-driven industries.”
He emphasized the need to expose the tobacco industry’s strategies, enforce stricter marketing and sales regulations, and provide support systems like quitting groups. “Let us stand together as advocates for health, truth, and a tobacco-free future,” he added.
Chairman of Ado Local Government, Hon. Bosun Osaloni, echoed the state’s commitment by declaring a local ban on public smoking. He pledged to work with lawmakers to enact legislation that will protect the public, especially youths, from the dangers of second-hand smoke in public spaces like parks, restaurants, and motor parks.
Also speaking, Executive Director of CAPPA, Mr. Oluwafemi Akinbode, commended the state for declaring Ado-Ekiti a smoke-free city. He said the move signals the beginning of enforcement of existing laws banning smoking in public areas, schools, and designated non-smoking zones.
“This is a significant step,” Akinbode said. “We are shifting focus from national to grassroots enforcement, where it matters most. While Nigeria has made progress in tobacco regulation, we must ensure that enforcement reaches communities.”
He stressed the importance of local implementation of international and national laws, noting that real change depends on action at the grassroots level.
