2005 Altria Shareholders Meeting: Statement by Tosin Orogun (Nigeria)

2005 Altria Shareholders Meeting

STATEMENT BY TOSIN OROGUN, JOURNALISTS ACTION ON TOBACCO & HEALTH (NIGERIA)

My country, Nigeria, is considered a developing country, which means we are faced with the challenges of poor facilities and in some cases, none at all, with 60% of over 140 million people, living below the poverty line. Over 40% of the population is under age 15, and these young people are vulnerable because they believe everything they see and hear, and accept all that comes from America, without questions.

For us, the entry of Philip Morris into the Nigerian Market is particularly alarming because we have watched their activities in other countries and we know that because Nigeria is such a big market, they will stop at nothing to get all the youths into smoking.

We were right about Philip Morris! One of the most outrageous promotional tactics they have is to recruit teenage girls to promote the Marlboro brand. These girls are dressed in red Marlboro tops with black pants, and they visit retail shops along the street to promote the brand. We think this is criminal, because it goes beyond the targeting the young people, it is about using the teens as agents of the killer product!

The implication of this to us is that more Nigerian teenagers are going to light up the cigarette for the first time and become addicted simply because of the sentiment that it is American.

I would like to ask: How do you think Philip Morris coming to Nigeria will benefit my people who are already poor and lack basic facilities? Do you think that all the perceived economic benefits you like to talk about can ever substitute for the lives of the Nigerian youths and coming generations?

CEO LOUIS CAMILLERI'S RESPONSE: Denied everything and demanded proof that it was happening. "You mustn't let your animosity against industry and us in particular blind your judgment or depiction of the facts," he said. "A lot said was distorted. The fact is that we re-entered the market. We were there 20 years ago. We are barely there [now]. We just started importing product...we're a 'pygmy' compared to other manufacturers there. We will continue to abide by marketing [regulations] and our self code. We do not employ teenagers and don't sell to children. If any shred of evidence [share it with us]."