A pan-African organisation, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) said that non-communicable diseases arising from excessive consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) among others, account for about 30 per cent of deaths annually recorded in Nigeria.
During a two-day Journalism Training on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) Tax and Industry Monitoring in Kano, CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi said: ‘Nigeria is facing an escalating public health crisis—the rise of noncommunicable diseases fuelled, in part, by dietary factors such as the excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods, especially SSBs and high-sodium foods. Various studies have shown that these debilitating diseases, once considered distant concerns, are now the reality for countless Nigerians, draining their finances, straining our healthcare system, and threatening the well-being of our future generations.
‘Noncommunicable diseases currently account for about 30 per cent of all deaths annually in Nigeria. Noteworthy, is the relentless contributions of the ultra-processed food industry to this crisis.
‘Food corporations use a sophisticated web of marketing strategies to lure Nigerians—especially children and young adults—into consuming ultra-processed foods that damage their health, undermine public health policies, and cost the Nigerian healthcare system billions’, Oluwafemi said.
He added, ‘Recognising the problem the Nigerian government introduced the Sugar Sweetened Beverage (SSB) tax in 2021, imposing a N10 levy per litre on all non-alcoholic, sweetened, and carbonated drinks. The goal of this pro-health policy is to discourage excessive consumption of SSBs reduce Nigerians addiction to sugary drinks, and stem the rise in SSB-fuelled noncommunicable diseases.
‘But there are several concerns. These include the extremely low threshold of the tax which has rendered it ineffective, the false narratives of the SSB industry, and the lack of transparency in how the revenue from the tax is expended by the government. These, among others, make this interaction with you these two days a necessity’, he said.
The Executive Director maintained that the aim of the training was to build the capacity of media professionals to accurately report the public health concerns, noncommunicable diseases burden in Nigeria, and pro-health policies that prioritize citizens’ wellbeing.
Meanwhile, health experts, Dr. Ekiyor Joseph and Dr. Oluwatosin Edafe advocated for 40% increases in taxes on SSB to reduce it consumption as well as curb the diseases arising from it excessive consumption.
