Participants at National Conference on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) held in Abuja.
As of 2020, there were more than 21 million overweight and 12 million obese persons in the Nigerian population aged 15 years or more, accounting for an age-adjusted prevalence of about 20% and 12% respectively.
Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Mr Akinbode Oluwafemi, who spoke during the National Conference on
Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) held yesterday in Abuja disclosed that more than 30% of all deaths in Nigeria are linked to Non-Communicable Diseases.
describing the situation as alarming, he said the risk of premature death from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancers, respiratory diseases, and diabetes among Nigerians aged 30 to 69 year olds is 22% based on the report of the world health organization (WHO).
He claimed that Nigerians are going through a tumultuous period without succour on the horizon due to the cost of managing non-communicable diseases, loss of productivity, and damage done to their social fabric through the fragmentation of family ties, and time lost to providing unpaid care.
“The above paints a dire picture of a Nigerian society that is burdened by avoidable health
issues and their attendant consequences. These are health burdens linked to urbanization of
diets and increasing normalization and overconsumption of sugar sweetened beverages,” he said.
Oluwafemi applauded the Federal Government for leaning towards using consumption taxes in combating unhealthy diets, discouraging consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and other harmful consumption patterns.
However, he expressed concern over increased attacks on the SSB tax by industrialists and manufacturers through false narratives, promotion of alternative science, and blackmailing of the government and intensification of their Greek’s gift of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to sway undiscerning members of the public and protect their revenues.
He argued that the development confirms the fact that the government is on the right path by retaining the tax in its fiscal policy.
He thereby canvassed an increase of the tax to a higher rate that is adjustable due to the prevailing inflation rate in the country.
“This increase must be significantly high to decrease consumption and provide needed support for public health,” he said.
“The government must also be wary of the industry and their allies as they continue to predict doom for the economy using these false narratives to curry sympathy from the same public they have undermined their well-being in favour of profit.
“The Federal Government through all necessary mechanism must retain the SSB tax in the next fiscal policy and increase to at least #50 while working with all stakeholders to find the most effective minimum tax rate that will help the government in achieving its goal. The scope of the SSB tax must be expanded to include all products that fall within the categorization without exemptions.”
