OJUDE OBA FESTIVAL: CAPPA ADVOCATES SMOKING BAN

The group, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has urged His Royal Majesty, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona Ogbagba II, Awujale of Ijebuland, to declare the Ojude Oba festival a No-Smoking or Smoke-Free Event, in the interest of public health. CAPPA, in a statement on Friday, appealed to the Awujale and the Organising Committee of the 2025 Ojude Oba festival to prohibit smoking, glamourisation of tobacco products and tobacco advertisements across all festival grounds, and establish designated health stations where volunteers can educate participants on the risks of smoking and vaping. This year’s Ojude Oba festival, themed “Ojude Oba: Celebrating Our Roots, Preserving Our Future," will be held on Sunday at the Dipo Dina International Stadium in Ijebu Ode. Each year, the festival attracts hundreds of thousands of participants and tourists, as well as global attention and media. CAPPA tasked the revered monarch and the Ojude Oba organising committee to prevent the tobacco industry from using the event to target individuals and vulnerable groups with its products of death and disease. It said: “With this spotlight comes responsibility. Your Majesty and the Committee may recall that during last year's Ojude Oba festival which featured many colourful appearances, a notable occurrence involved cancer survivor Mr. Farooq Oreagba smoking on horseback. This image which circulated widely, was also seized by the tobacco industry to frame and promote smoking as fashionable, and a cultural norm. “Unfortunately, such portrayals of ‘smoking as a cool indulgence' risk overshadowing the cultural significance of Ojude Oba and inadvertently endorsing harmful behaviours. This is true because medical evidence and the experiences of addicted victims make it clear that there is nothing good about smoking. Even secondhand inhalation kills. Tobacco consumption is a leading cause of preventable cancers, respiratory disorders, and cardiovascular illnesses, and it places families and young people at grave risk.” “Across Nigeria, local media continues to document young smokers struggling with anxiety, psychological distress, and antisocial behaviours.” According to the NGO, it is in recognition of these harms that Nigeria enacted the National Tobacco Control Act in 2015, which bans any form of tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (TAPS), prohibits the sale of cigarettes to minors, and forbids smoking in public places, amongst other measures to safeguard public health. Additionally, the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) issued regulations in 2024 requiring that no film or video content exhibited or distributed in Nigeria may portray tobacco use without an accompanying health warning—ensuring that our cultural productions also uphold public health standards. “Thankfully, this year's Ojude Oba festival fortuitously follows just days after World No Tobacco Day, a global event that underscores the dangers of smoking, draws back the curtain on tobacco industry tactics, and promotes healthier living. “Given the festival’s penetrating influence, declaring it Smoke-Free will not only align powerfully with our cultural values but also protect our youth from negative influences and unhealthy lifestyles,” CAPPA said. The statement also noted that the sentiments of Chief Fassy A. Yusuf (Ph.D), Coordinator of the Ojude Oba festival, reinforce CAPPA’s concerns. In a recent meeting with CAPPA’s tobacco control advocacy team, the respected Chief affirmed that smoking poses serious health risks and reiterated that Ijebu land does not endorse tobacco use, particularly during the festival. Whilst commending Chief Fassy for his leadership and describing his remarks as timely and consistent with broader national and global efforts to de-normalise smoking in public and cultural spaces, the NGO appealed to the monarch and the Ojude Oba 2025 Organising Committee to uphold this public health-sensitive commitment by: “Prohibiting smoking and tobacco advertisement across all festival grounds, including parade routes and communal gathering areas. “Allowing and establishing designated health stations at main entrances where trained volunteers can distribute advocacy materials, offer education and evidence-based guidance on the risks of smoking.” CAPPA also encouraged the Organising Committee to mobilise group leaders to reinforce smoke-free guidelines and ensure that every age group understands the stakes. It reasoned that these measures would reaffirm Ojude Oba’s cultural integrity, “demonstrating that our heritage cannot be hijacked to normalise habits that undermine communal strength. Other states and cultural festivals will also on this account, look to Ijebu land for leadership because a smoke-free Ojude Oba will inspire a ripple effect across Nigeria, as well as underscore Your Majesty’s legacy of care.”