By their words: A critical discourse analysis of stakeholders viewpoints on the Nigerian Tobacco Control Bill

Adebiyi A.O, Adedokun O, Popoola O.

Presented at the Researcher Conference on Tobacco Control in Africa17th July, 2014

Outline

IntroductionCritical Discourse AnalysisMethodologyResultsConclusion

Introduction• The Nigerian effort to pass a comprehensive

tobacco control bill was stalled in 2012 with the non-assent of the bill by Mr. President

• Reasons given for the non-assent included:– Concerns about trade – Role conflicts of governmental departments

• It is not unlikely that these are proxies for Tobacco Industry interference in tobacco control

• Article 5.3 of the FCTC encourages countries to protect tobacco control policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry

Introduction

• Interference of the tobacco industry (TI) may be subtle i.e.,– promoting certain narratives – channeling discourses in dominant contextual

pathways i.e., poverty/unemployment

• Use of linguistic means to intensify inequities in society is one of the subtlest tools ever used by TI

• Discourse is a function of the pervading social, economic and political contexts as well as the belief systems which offers the opportunity for interpretation (Perakyla 2005)

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)• Monitoring of TI influence in Nigeria must take

into cognizance the context in which social power dominance operates

• CDA is a special approach which focuses on the meanings and relationships of power, dominance and control in written, oral, and visual language (Wodak 2004)

• CDA is concerned with uncovering discursive ways like manipulation, legitimation and manufacture of consent to influence action in favour of the powerful like TI

Objectives

• Identify dominant themes/areas of dissent on proposed tobacco control bill

• Assess power context in current tobacco discourse

• Determine overlaps between stakeholder and TI perspectives in TC

Methodology

• Method: CDA – has been used previously in tobacco control research i.e., testimony of industry, government and lay activists in congressional hearings on tobacco (Murphy 2001)

• Source documents: – Summary/transcripts accounts of public hearing on

tobacco control 2009– Presentations by key governmental agencies at public

fora– Textual accounts of tobacco industry line of defense– Historical records of tobacco industry narratives

Analytical approach• Thematic: Use of Atlas ti to identify common themes• Theory based: Identification of discourse pathways that

follow social power bias• Discourse analysis:

– argumentation strategies– intrinsic logic and composition of text– stated implications and insinuations– vocabulary and style

• Modified Delphi:– Two researchers compared the findings from the various

documents with that of TI independently– Points of divergence were discussed and consensus reached– The linguistic expert examined every document for vocabulary

and style

Results• The dominant themes:– Composition of National Tobacco Control

Committee– Trade and poverty related– Automated Vending Machines (AVMs)– Designated Smoking Areas (DSA’s)– Regulation– Reporting

Composition of NATOC• “The need to expunge clause 2(i) of the bill which

wants to establish a committee, the National Tobacco Control committee for the control and regulation of tobacco since agencies such as SON and APCON are already doing this”.– At least two governmental agencies had this line of

discourse similar to TI– This is based on the TI fear that it would make the

Minister of Health very powerful through the organ of the NATOC to prescribe new guidelines for labeling and packaging.

– The strategy of the TI is based on the mutual distrust and rivalry amongst governmental agencies

Trade and poverty related• “ The law is too stringent and may harm trade

and philanthropy”• “ Increased taxation will promote smuggling”• “Philanthropy should not be sacrificed at the alter

of tobacco control”• “Moderate the excess in this bill by considering

the fate of about 500, 000 people that could lose their jobs if tobacco production is banned”– Premised on the corporate social responsibility of BAT

and the pervading poverty discourse on-going in Nigeria which is unrelated to tobacco but which presents a unique opportunity for ‘manufacturing consent’

AVM’s and DSA’s • “ Automated vending machines shall only be displayed

in designated smoking areas’• “two hundred and fifty meters should be the limits of

access restriction”• “ Most under-aged children who buy cigarettes are

usually sent by their parents”– This is based on the warped discourse that ‘tobacco is an

adult decision’ so we should make sure young people less than 18 years are prevented from buying cigarettes while preserving the right of the adult to smoke

– This argumentation strategy is synonymous with the TI and this is simply to provide obfuscation for the real purpose of their argument which is to create an opportunity for youngsters to access cigarettes through AVM’s

Regulation, packaging and reporting• “…… is already empowered by law to legislate and enforce

product standard – including packaging”• “manufacturers should have a right to preserve its

trademark”• “No need for reporting about contents to Ministry of

health since…… already collects information from TI”• “The specifications (standards)are minimum

requirements, compliance to the standard is mandatory but leaves room for continual improvement in product design”– Based on the delusion that regulatory bodies in Nigeria can work with TI to

make tobacco products safer– One regulatory body in Nigeria sees TI as a stakeholder, so it is easier to be

lenient with TI under the pretence of stakeholder sensitization– The issue of mandatory reporting on contents to Federal Ministry of Health is

an albatross that TI tries to run away from so subtly introducing the issue of double reporting into the consciousness of the regulatory body serves their purpose

Conclusion• Discourse analysis shows significant overlap

between government agencies and some NGO positions with TI narrative

• Valid threat of weakening the proposed Tobacco Control Bill

• Proactive evidence based advocacy is required• Mobilisation of professional associations to

provide needed pressure for a strong Bill

References• Peräkylä, A. (2005): Analysing Talk and Text. in Denzin, N. K. &

Linkoln, Y. S. (eds.): The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research . Sage Publications.

• Wodak, R., & Fairclough, N. (2004). Critical discourse analysis. Sage, London, 197-213.

• Murphy P. Framing the nicotine debate: a cultural approach to risk. Health Commun. 2001;13(2):119–40.

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