Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), a coalition of Civil Society Organisations, says excessive salt (sodium) intake can lower the lifespan of individuals.

The coalition reiterated this position on Tuesday in Abuja at a meeting on salt consumption reduction. Dr Jerome Mafeni, NHED Director and Project Adviser, Campaign for Reduction of Salt in Commercially Produced Food, said that the coalition is launching campaign against high salt (sodium) intake.

He said the coalition had put together CSOs, non state actors both at the national and international levels to actualise the campaign.

According to him, Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) like hypertension, heart attack, high blood pressure and stroke are dangerous diseases.

He said, about 18 million persons died of such diseases worldwide in 2019, which represented 32 per cent of the global death.

Mafeni said that there was the need for Nigerians to begin to reduce their salt consumption particularly on commercially produced foods to less than 5 grams.

“We are going to be working through a multifaceted strategy with very limited resources to reach a large percentage of Nigerians.