Feature/OPED
Tobacco Harm Reduction: The Imperative for Alternatives
By Olufisayo Adeoti
There are concerns the world over about the health effects of tobacco, which is mostly consumed by smoking cigarettes, cigars or pipes.
In January 2021, the company, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health, donated nicotine patches worth $800,000 to Jordan to help the country in its efforts to lower smoking rates. The donation was received by the country’s ministry of health.
This was after the public health groups sounded the alarm on the prevalence of smoking among Jordanian citizens as Jordan became the country with the highest smoking rate in the world. A government study carried out in 2019 in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that eight out of every 10 Jordanian men smoked or regularly used nicotine products.
The WHO Representative for Jordan, Maria Cristina Profili, in response to the donation stated; “We are grateful for this donation which builds on WHO’s existing efforts and a comprehensive programme to fight tobacco control in Jordan. The nicotine replacement therapy will help thousands of people in Jordan quit tobacco and lead a healthier life.”
But still, WHO and several public health organisations maintain a prohibitionist approach toward tobacco harm reduction. Their position is that smokers must quit the habit or face the consequences of death or a myriad of health complications.
Agreed, quitting is the best option for smokers but what alternative choices or reduced risk products are available to consumers who cannot or do not want to quit?
A growing number of public health experts believe that providing less risky tobacco or nicotine products will achieve the same objective of reducing the health effects of smoking tobacco and in some instances help smokers quit. These experts in many ways are the proponents of Tobacco Harm Reduction.
In a statement by Professor David Nutt of Imperial College London, published by Counterfactual, where he urged WHO leadership to launch a comprehensive rethink of its approach to tobacco control, he says about alternative products: “There is no real scientific doubt that these smoke-free products are much safer than smoking and that they can help smokers quit. So we should be working hard to make that happen”
Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) is a public health solution. The argument is that the harmful effect of tobacco is predominantly caused by the way it is consumed – smoking, but if the element of combustion (smoking) is removed and consumers are provided with less risky or alternative ways to consume tobacco or nicotine, then the public health concern on the health impact of tobacco is reduced.
Increasingly, proponents of THR are revealing success stories. A significant number of these stories or acceptance of THR is from developed economies and hopefully, it will begin to gain acceptance in less developed ones.
For instance, in the United Kingdom (UK), tobacco harm reduction within a regulated framework, encouraging smokers to use non-combustible tobacco or nicotine products, is supported by the UK government and most of the public health communities.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) which issues evidence-based guidance on the most effective ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and ill health published guidance on tobacco harm reduction. The guidance recognizes that quitting smoking is always the best option for smokers but it supports the use of licensed nicotine-containing products (NCPs) to help smokers not currently able to quit to cut down and as a substitute for smoking. For those looking for alternatives, options like Zigaretten online kaufen can also play a role in transitioning away from traditional smoking.
Public Health England (PHE) also published an independent evidence review on electronic cigarettes which concluded that the devices are significantly less harmful than smoking.
Furthermore, in the United States of America (USA), the food and drug administration (FDA) has begun to license alternative products as “modified risk tobacco product.”
Sweden has long been considered by keen industry observers as a trailblazer in cutting down smoking rates among men. But their strategy was the use of reduced risk tobacco products like snus. Snus is a nicotine pouch that a lot of smokers have switched to over the years. It enables smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit to enjoy nicotine without having to contend with the dangerous substances that accompany combustible tobacco products.
In December 2020, Frost & Sullivan, a consulting firm that is world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, megatrends, and new business models reported that Japan had recorded a 34% drop in sales of cigarettes between 2015 and 2019 (attributing this decline to the availability of non-combustible, reduced risks products, mainly heated tobacco products (HTP). The report supports the position that the availability of non-combustible alternatives, less risky options is crucial for any society to achieve a decline in smoking among its citizens.
While the proponents of tobacco harm reduction have always called for the availability of alternative products, the response of WHO to the aforementioned donation of nicotine patches to Jordan would seem to lend credence to this notion as it openly celebrated the provision and availability of alternative products, reduced risk options to cigarettes.
It is imperative we develop a balanced approach in our polity. In seeking a drop in smoking rates in Nigeria or across Africa, what strategies do the relevant health authorities and regulatory agencies have? What is their stance on tobacco harm reduction (THR) and reduced risk alternative products?
How well do they understand THR? What independent researches and studies are they undertaking to improve their knowledge and understanding to enable an objective appraisal of this concept?
If the ultimate goal is to achieve a decline in smoking rates and reduce the adverse health impact of tobacco, evidence from countries that are succeeding continues to show that tobacco harm reduction must be pursued as a public health solution despite or in addition to ongoing smoking cessation initiatives.
Nigeria, as with other African countries (particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa), must institute robust dialogues and engagements with all relevant stakeholders to formulate effective policies and guidelines for the availability and use of reduced risk products.
Policies enacted on scientific evidence and the rights of consumers to have access to these products are not just essential but is a crucial step to reduce smoking rates and the health impact of combustible tobacco products.
Leaving things the way they are will have limited impact on the reduction of smoking incidence and will not help the government to achieve swiftly the public policy objectives of reducing the health risks associated with combustible tobacco.
Olufisayo Adeoti sent this piece from Lagos
Nigeria’s financial services industry stands at a decisive crossroads as technology leaders prepare for the January 1, 2027, data residency deadline set by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The regulatory mandate requiring all payment transaction records, customer personally identifiable information (PII), and account ledgers to reside within domestic data centres is forcing a structural re-evaluation of banking IT architectures. For executive teams across the country, navigating this transition without interrupting daily banking operations is becoming the ultimate test of leadership.
For years, the industry’s reliance on foreign hyperscale providers delivered quick elasticity and global tools. However, transferring entire production stacks – encompassing real-time transaction processing, API gateways, and fraud scoring engines – back to local infrastructure requires significant engineering effort. With the country handling billions of electronic transactions annually, CIOs are seeking to preserve system uptime while severing deep operational dependencies on foreign data centres.
Experts have opined that the core challenge confronting financial technology teams is the lack of empirical, vendor-neutral benchmarks for domestic cloud platforms. Evaluating whether local data centres can sustain mission-critical financial traffic requires rigorous stress testing rather than relying on theoretical SLAs. The risk of potential downtime during a live migration makes vendor vetting the most crucial phase of the compliance roadmap.
To mitigate these operational risks, infrastructure partners like MTN are mobilising domestic capacity and technical insights tailored for the financial sector. By offering sovereign cloud solutions and collaborative engineering frameworks, MTN is helping CIOs and startups navigate the migration path with minimal disruption. Their localised infrastructure serves as an operational bridge, providing the uptime and data sovereignty assurances that both institutions and regulators require.
Lynda Saint-Nwafor, the Chief Enterprise Business Officer for MTN Nigeria, put it succinctly when she explained the upside of hosting data locally: “Hosting locally means lower latency, faster response times, and compliance with Nigeria’s data regulations. More importantly, it gives Nigerian businesses control, keeping sensitive financial, health, and government data within national borders.”
As the January 2027 benchmark approaches, the metric for success will depend on technical execution and operational discipline across companies.
By Osasikemwen Ighile
For many Nigerian families, the summer holiday is a season of fun, relaxation, and spending quality time together. But with the kids at home, more outings, higher electricity consumption, and extra entertainment costs, it’s also a period when expenses can quietly pile up.
The good news? You don’t have to choose between making memories and managing your finances. With a few smart habits, you can enjoy the holidays while keeping your savings goals on track.
Here are five practical ways to save smarter this summer.
1. Ditch Cash and Spend Smarter
Ever noticed how cash disappears faster than you expected? Whether it’s buying snacks for the kids, paying for transport, or making quick market runs, spending cash can make it difficult to track where your money goes.
Using a debit card can make it easier to track transactions and monitor spending. FairMoney customers can use their debit card for eligible transactions, subject to applicable terms and conditions. You can make payments conveniently at stores, shop online, and easily monitor your transactions. Instead of carrying cash everywhere, you get a clearer picture of your expenses and can avoid unnecessary impulse purchases.
Small changes like this can make a big difference over the course of the holiday.
2. The Kids Are Home—Stay Ahead of Your Utility Bills
School holidays often mean one thing: the TV is almost always on. From cartoons in the morning to football matches in the evening, your cable subscription becomes more important than ever. Add fans, air conditioners, gaming consoles, and other appliances, and it’s easy to see why electricity bills tend to increase during this period.
Rather than waiting until services are disconnected, planning and paying bills on time help households avoid unnecessary late-payment or reconnection charges. FairMoney customers can pay eligible bills and services through the platform, subject to applicable terms and service availability. You can conveniently pay for Cable TV subscriptions, Electricity bills, Internet subscriptions, Airtime and data for the entire family.
Paying bills on time can help reduce the risk of late payment consequences or applicable reconnection charges. Summer is filled with birthdays, outings, family visits, and spontaneous spending. While these moments are worth enjoying, your savings shouldn’t take a holiday.
3. Enjoy the Holidays—but Don’t Pause Your Savings
A simple strategy is to save first before spending. FairMoney customers can also use eligible savings products, such as FairSave and FairTarget, to set aside money towards specific financial goals, subject to the applicable product terms, conditions and eligibility requirements, even if it’s in small amounts. Already planning for the next school term? FairMoney customers can also use eligible savings products, such as FairSave and FairTarget, to set aside money towards specific financial goals, subject to the applicable product terms, conditions and eligibility requirements. Already planning for the next school term? Consider setting aside money regularly towards your school-fee goal. FairTarget can be used to help you organise savings around specific financial goals, subject to the applicable product terms, conditions and eligibility requirements. By starting early and saving consistently, you can better prepare for school-related expenses when the new term begins.
4. Plan Weekly Family Activities Instead of Daily Spending
The holidays don’t have to be expensive to be memorable. Instead of spending money every day on outings, cinemas, or restaurants, create a simple weekly activity plan. One weekend could be a family movie night at home. Another could be a picnic in a nearby park, a cooking competition, indoor games, or a visit to relatives.
Planning activities ahead helps you control spending while still giving everyone something to look forward to. Sometimes, the best memories cost very little.
5. Buy Household Essentials in Bulk
With everyone at home, groceries seem to disappear twice as fast. Instead of making frequent trips to the store, which often lead to impulse purchases, consider buying regularly used items in bulk.
Depending on the retailer and quantity purchased, some household essentials may offer better value when purchased in bulk.. You’ll spend less on transportation, reduce unplanned shopping, and avoid running out of important items.
Summer should be about creating happy memories not financial headaches. By spending more intentionally, paying your bills on time, planning ahead, and staying committed to your savings goals, you can enjoy everything the season has to offer without putting unnecessary pressure on your finances.
A few smart habits today can make the months ahead much easier. And that’s a win for every household.
Osasikemwen Ighile is the Brand Manager for FairMoney Microfinance Bank
Feature/OPED
Beyond the Screen: How Sports and Entertainment Keep Nigeria’s Economy Moving
When we talk about Nigeria’s economy, the conversation usually centres on oil and gas, banking, agriculture, manufacturing and technology. But there is another industry quietly creating jobs and driving economic activity: entertainment and sports. Most times, we only see the finished product. We watch the show, cheer during the match and move on to the […]
When we talk about Nigeria’s economy, the conversation usually centres on oil and gas, banking, agriculture, manufacturing and technology. But there is another industry quietly creating jobs and driving economic activity: entertainment and sports. Most times, we only see the finished product. We watch the show, cheer during the match and move on to the next thing. What we do not always see is the amount of work that happens before those moments reach our screens.
Take Big Brother Naija
When viewers tune in and see the housemates moving around the Big Brother house, it is easy to forget that the house itself is a product of many people’s work. From the interior designers and set builders who create the spaces to the electricians, carpenters, painters and technicians who bring them to life, an entire team works behind the scenes before the first episode even begins.
Once the cameras start rolling, the list gets even longer. Producers, directors, camera operators, sound engineers, editors, stylists, makeup artists, caterers, production assistants and security personnel all have a role to play. Then there is everything that happens outside the house. Publicists, photographers, videographers, digital teams, content creators and media platforms all contribute to keeping the conversation going. The housemates may be the faces audiences remember, but they are only one part of a much bigger entertainment ecosystem.
Sports have a similar impact
When the Super Falcons play a major game, the focus is naturally on the players and what happens on the pitch. But outside the stadium, the game can mean business for viewing centres, food vendors, restaurants and bars. Sports analysts and commentators have more to cover, content creators have something new to create around and businesses selling jerseys and football merchandise get an opportunity to make sales.
A major sporting event can turn an ordinary evening into a busy one for businesses that have little to do with what happens on the pitch. That is the part of sports and entertainment that is easy to overlook. The value is not only in the stars we see or the content we consume. It is also in the network of people whose skills and businesses keep these industries moving.
And this is where DStv and GOtv become an important part of the picture. They do more than give audiences access to the shows, matches and moments they care about. They connect the people producing this content with millions of viewers who keep the industry going.
Every time someone tunes in to Big Brother Naija, follows the Super Falcons or settles in for a major sporting event, they are engaging with an industry that supports producers, creatives, technicians, businesses and other professionals.
The impact of sports and entertainment, therefore, goes beyond what happens on the screen. By bringing some of the biggest entertainment and sporting moments to Nigerian audiences, DStv and GOtv help keep this ecosystem active, visible and working. Because sometimes, when we sit down to watch, we are not just consuming entertainment. We are also supporting an industry that provides jobs.
