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JUST IN: CAPPA Warns Nigerians Against Burna Boy’s Vape Deal

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Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has condemned a five-year deal between Grammy Award-winning artiste Burna Boy’s company, BrkFst, and Aspire North America, LLC, a subsidiary of Inspire Technology Inc. for the manufacture and distribution of vaping products in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Europe.


According to CAPPA, Burna Boy’s BrkFst brand, as detailed on its website and in news reports, sets out to promote cannabis and fashion culture.

However, Nigeria presently classifies cannabis as an illicit substance due to its potential to worsen the country’s challenges with drug proliferation, abuse, and narco-terrorism.


It warned that the business collaboration between Aspire North America, LLC, and BrkFst is likely to engender aggressive marketing of cannabis vaping and e-cigarettes, including vape pens, e-hookahs, JUULs, and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), which will further worsen the nation’s Non- Communicable Diseases (NCDs) burden.
CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi said:

“We are really disappointed that Burna Boy rather than promote healthy lifestyles and noble causes among the youth, has chosen to throw his influence behind habits that cause dangerous health consequences.


“The vape deal is one of the strategies by the tobacco and related industries to use social and cultural influencers like Burna Boy to create the impression that vaping is safe, especially among young, upwardly mobile Nigerians.”


However, contrary to what its promoters would have the public believe, CAPPA pointed out that vapes are banned in no fewer than 34 countries. Some others including the United States and China, which permit vapes, impose heavy regulations on their use.


In January, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans to ban disposable vapes in The United Kingdom to protect children’s health and discourage its rising use among teenagers.


Oluwafemi, criticized the tobacco industry’s relentless efforts to make its products appealing to vulnerable groups by producing e-cigarettes in a variety of attractive colours and flavours and using socialites to promote them.


He noted that despite claims that e-cigarettes contain fewer of the over 7,000 toxic chemicals found in smoke from regular cigarettes, aerosols from e-cigarettes still contain harmful and potentially dangerous substances, including nicotine, volatile organic compounds, heavy metals like lead, and carcinogens.


Akinbode added: “E-cigarette promoters claim their products can help people quit smoking. However, evidence shows that these so-called alternatives to tobacco smoke, including vapes, are not healthy at all.


“They are all part of the tobacco industry’s tricks to trap victims, especially young persons, in their web of death and disease. Nicotine used in vapour products is highly addictive and can damage your heart, arteries, and lungs, increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease.


“Just early this month, a study by the American College of Cardiology investigating possible links between vaping and heart failure found that people who use e-cigarettes are significantly more likely to develop heart failure compared with those who have never used them.”
CAPPA noted that the tobacco industry is desperately notorious for its unlawful tactics to recruit new users of its products, so that its shareholders can enjoy immoral profits. At the same time, the public is left to bear the huge financial and health burden of diseases and economic losses caused by their products.


Last December, the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) found that its logo was unlawfully used in the advertisement of the Brkfst vape cigarettes, in Lekki, contrary to tobacco control laws. LASAA swiftly condemned the advert.


CAPPA’s Policy and Research Analyst, Zikora Ibeh urged Nigerians and the government to watch out for more of such industry tricks and plots to undermine the hard-won victories of tobacco control efforts.
“There is a l

atest spin to the tobacco industry. They are flooding black markets with new nicotine products touted as safer alternatives and fashionable. Sadly, these products are just as lethal as any other conventional offerings by them.”

They also reinforce a behavioural pattern that can dissuade smokers from quitting while initiating a new generation of non-smokers, particularly children and adolescents to take up smoking and vaping.

We urge the government and public health advocates to step up vigilance against these deadly products and deceitful claims of the industry.” Ibeh added.

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NESREA Probes Mysterious Cloud-Like Substance on Kaduna-Abuja Expressway (Images)

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Nigeria’s National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has commenced an urgent investigation into a strange white, foamy, cloud-like substance that appeared along the busy Kaduna-Abuja Expressway.

The unusual substance drew crowds and sparked widespread online speculation, with some initially mistaking it for “fallen clouds.” NESREA has warned residents and motorists to avoid the area, describing it as a suspected chemical spill possibly linked to a truck accident.

Agency officials from the Kaduna State Field Office visited the site, collected samples of the foam, soil, and nearby water for laboratory analysis to determine its composition and potential environmental or health risks.

Further updates are expected as tests continue. Motorists are advised to exercise caution on the expressway.

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President Trump Writes President Tinubu, Lauding His Decisive Leadership Against Terrorists

“It is a true honour to stand with you in the fight against these terrorists and to make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger and more prosperous.”

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US President Donald Trump has lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his decisive leadership against terrorism.

In a letter to President Tinubu, President Trump applauded Tinubu’s resolve “to tackle the issues plaguing Nigeria, especially the violence affecting Christian communities.”

According to Trump: “It is a true honour to stand with you in the fight against these terrorists and to make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger and more prosperous.”

The US-Nigeria relationship flourished in recent times, with the two sides working closely in key areas, especially in tackling security challenges afflicting parts of Nigeria.

In November last year, President Trump and President Tinubu agreed to establish a Joint Working Group co-headed by the National Security Advisers of Nigeria and the United States.

Through the work of the working group, the two sides agreed on several steps, including training, intelligence sharing, and joint operations to roll back terrorist activities.

A highlight of the collaboration was the May 16 coordinated attack on ISIS hideouts in the Lake Chad area, which led to the killing of the group’s top leader, Abubakar Al-Minoki, and many of his lieutenants.

Last week, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Frank Garcia, visited Abuja, where he held meetings with senior government officials and pledged to strengthen the cooperation between Abuja and Washington DC in security and other areas of collaboration.

Full text of the letter dated July 6, 2026: Dear Mr President, “Thank you for your thoughtful letter. Your kind words mean a great deal to me, and I appreciate your decisive leadership on behalf of the Nigerian people.

I applaud your resolve to tackle the issues plaguing your nation, especially the violence affecting Christian communities and it is a true honor to stand with you in the fight against terrorists and to make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger and more prosperous.

“The United States-Nigeria relationship is crucial at a time where conflict has spread across West Africa and around the world. We both share a mutual goal of confronting terrorism in all its forms, and our historic US-Nigeria 2026 Defence Cooperation Roadmap has established a robust framework to accomplish this feat.

“I am proud to have deployed the United States Special Operations Forces—among the most elite military units anywhere in the world—to equip the brave men and women in the Armed Forces of Nigeria with the skills, tools and intelligence they need to protect your homeland and ensure the safety and security of citizens, particularly those of faith who have been under attack. I look forward to our continued discussions over the course of my Presidency.

” Sincerely, Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America.

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Excitement as Tinubu approves new army battalion for Kwara

The battalion will be located in Omu Aran, headquarters of Irepodun Local Government Area, and is expected to boost troop deployment and military operations, particularly in areas affected by kidnappings and bandit attacks.

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Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of a new Army battalion in the State to strengthen security and tackle banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Mashood Agboola, Governor AbdulRazaq, said that the battalion will be located in Omu Aran, headquarters of Irepodun Local Government Area, and is expected to boost troop deployment and military operations, particularly in areas affected by kidnappings and bandit attacks.

He described the approval as another demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing security challenges in the state.

The governor thanked President Tinubu for approving the new military formation, saying it would strengthen ongoing counterterrorism and anti-kidnapping operations.

“We are confident the new battalion will greatly strengthen counterterrorism and anti-kidnapping operations,” he said.

AbdulRazaq also commended the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, for the swift processing of the request, and appreciated the Office of the National Security Adviser and other security agencies for their efforts to combat violent crime.

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