As the World Obesity Day (WOD) holds, the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) is worried that over 33 million Nigerians are overweight.

A breakdown indicates that more than 21 million were overweight, while 12 million obese persons were aged 15 years or more. In a statement by its Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, the group renewed the call for comprehensive healthy food policies to strengthen local diets, and tackle the country’s rising obesity and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) burden.

It urged government at all levels to pay attention to the worrisome practice of food corporations flooding the markets and grooming Nigerians with unhealthy, ultra-processed food products targeted at children and other classes of the country’s teeming youth population, to the detriment of their health and nutritious, indigenous diets.

CAPPA noted that these junk foods have been linked to overweight and obesity, adding that the unhealthy diet crisis is costing the country invaluable manpower and productivity loss due to hospitalisation and chronic disability of NCD victims.

Referencing the WHO, it added that obese children are at higher risk of developing serious health problems, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and other respiratory problems, sleep disorders, and liver disease.

“Taking action on obesity is a critical step in reducing the burden of other chronic non-communicable diseases, hence the call for a raise in the SSB tax – a pro-health levy – to N130 per litre and the proceeds ploughed into the healthcare sector,” Oluwafemi added.

According to the World Obesity Federation (WOF), 1.9 billion or one in four people will be living with the disorder in 2035, costing the global economy about $4.32 trillion. This is twice the figure for 2010. Worst still, there will be a 100 per cent increase in childhood obesity between 2020 and 2035.