The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has congratulated the National Film and Video Censors Board and two distinguished Nigerian-born public health experts for winning the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s World No Tobacco Day 2026 Awards.
The NFVCB, Prof. Olalekan Ayo-Yusuf of the School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, and Prof. Catherine Egbe of the South African Medical Research Council are the three Nigerians on the five-person African Region winners list unveiled by the WHO on Tuesday, May 19. 2026.
The other African winners are Nare Narcisse Mathurin of Burkina Faso and Louise Mapleh Kpoto of Liberia.
In a statement following the announcement, CAPPA described the recognition as a fitting tribute to years of courageous and consistent work in advancing tobacco control and protecting public health across Africa.
CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said the awards reflect the growing impact of African-led efforts to resist tobacco industry influence and protect younger generations from nicotine addiction.
“We warmly congratulate the NFVCB, Professor Catherine Egbe and Professor Olalekan Ayo-Yusuf on this well-deserved global recognition,” Oluwafemi said. “Their work has strengthened tobacco control efforts not only in Nigeria but across the African continent. This honour is also a reminder that sustained advocacy, strong regulation and evidence-based public health policies can save lives.”
He particularly commended the NFVCB and its Director-General Dr. Shaibu Hussein for the landmark decision in 2024 to prohibit the promotion and glamorisation of tobacco and nicotine products in Nigerian films, music videos and skits.
“The NFVCB’s Director-General Dr. Shaibu Hussein showed exemplary leadership and courage by taking a bold stand against the normalisation of smoking in entertainment media,” Olufemi added. “At a time when the tobacco industry increasingly targets young people through popular culture and digital content, this policy sends a powerful message that public health must come before corporate profit.”
On 21 May 2024, the NFVCB announced regulations prohibiting the display, promotion, and glamorisation of tobacco, tobacco products, and nicotine products in Nollywood productions and related entertainment content.
The regulation, approved by the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy and backed by the NFVCB Act of 1993, aligns with provisions of Nigeria’s National Tobacco Control Act 2015 and the National Tobacco Control Regulations 2019.
Nigeria became the first African country and the second globally, after India, to introduce such restrictions in entertainment media. The move followed years of advocacy under the #SmokeFreeNollywood campaign led by local tobacco control advocates, including CAPPA and the Nigerian Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA).
The regulation also aligns with the guidelines for implementing Article 13 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which addresses tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship in entertainment media.
CAPPA also congratulated all the global award recipients recognised by the WHO for their contributions to tobacco control, including Yemeni Prime Minister Dr Shaya Mohsin Zindani, who received the WHO Director-General’s Special Award.
In total, the WHO announced 38 awardees across Africa, the Americas, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia and the Western Pacific regions.
Oluwafemi urged Nigerian authorities to build on the momentum created by the awards by fully implementing existing tobacco control laws and resisting interference from the tobacco industry.
“Recognition is important, but the bigger task remains protecting Nigerians, especially young people, from the devastating health and economic consequences of tobacco use,” he said. “This moment should inspire even stronger commitment to a smoke-free future.”
Each year, the WHO honours individuals and organisations from each of the six WHO regions for their outstanding contributions to tobacco control, as part of the annual World No Tobacco Day commemoration.
World No Tobacco Day is commemorated globally every May 31. This year’s theme, “Unmask the appeal – countering tobacco and nicotine addiction”, focuses on exposing the deceptive tactics used by the tobacco and nicotine industry to ensnare young people in a cycle of addiction, disease and death.
