CAPPA, others advocate commensurate tax on SSBs
The steady rise in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), including Type 2 Diabetes, hypertension, obesity, stroke, kidney disease and cardiovascular complications, has been blamed on excessive consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs).

In his opening remark at the media presentation of the documentary, Sweet Poison, in Lagos, yesterday, Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Akinbode Oluwafemi, restated the need for the government to review the N10 tax per litre of SSB.

According to him, the N10 tax was implemented when a 50-litre bottle of soda, which now sells for about N400, was selling for N100.

“Across Nigeria, today, sugary drinks have become deeply woven into everyday life. They are in our homes, schools, markets, offices, social gatherings, and even spaces where access to clean drinking water is difficult. Through aggressive advertising, strategic sponsorships, celebrity endorsements and relentless market penetration, ultra-processed food and beverage corporations have successfully normalised products that are contributing to a growing public health crisis,” Oluwafemi stated.

Also, the Regional Senior Advisor for the Food Policy Programme in Africa, Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), Dr Adeolu Adebiyi, said the burden of cancer and other NCDs “is increasing,” adding that the challenge necessitates some pertinent questions about the food on the tables.

According to him, ‘sweet poison’ is packed in the kids’ lunch boxes, sometimes as a status symbol, which results in NCDs.

Citing the regulation of SSBs in some foreign countries, the Executive Director, Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development, Dr Leslie Adogame, asserted that government policy could go a long way in curbing the consumption of fizzy drinks.

Meanwhile, considering the cost of managing NCDs, Sam Eferaro of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) urged the government to stop taxing drugs for NCDs and rather subsidise them to make them affordable.

On his part, the Clinical Director, GTAK Health, Ikeja, Lagos, Dr Goke Akinrogunde, urged all and sundry to be advocates of healthy living.

He added that while sugar could be poison to some persons, it could also be a liver saver; hence, everyone should know their health status.

CAPPA expressed its belief in a higher tax tied to the retail price of sugary drinks, alongside proper earmarking of such taxes for health promotion and nutrition programmes.

“We believe Sweet Poison contributes meaningfully to ongoing conversations around healthy food policies, food systems, youth health, environmental justice and corporate accountability in Nigeria,” Oluwafemi added.

Screening of the documentary produced by CAPPA brought together medical experts, lived experience experts, journalists and other stakeholders to further expand the conversation on SSBs and NCDs.