Poor Diets Fuel 30% Of Deaths in Nigeria, Experts Warn

The Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, Akinbode Oluwafemi, has said that non-communicable diseases account for about 30 per cent of all deaths annually in Nigeria.

Oluwafemi stated this during a journalism training on the sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) tax and industry monitoring held at BON Hotel, Kano, on Monday.

According to him, Nigeria is facing an escalating public health crisis, which is the rise of non-communicable diseases fuelled by dietary factors such as the excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods, especially sugar-sweetened beverages and high-sodium foods.

“Various studies have shown that debilitating diseases once considered distinct concerns are now the reality for countless Nigerians, draining their finances, straining our healthcare system, and threatening the well-being of our future generations.

“Noteworthy are the 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.

“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,” he said.

He further stated that 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 non-communicable 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.”

Oluwafemi said the training aims to build the capacity of media professionals to accurately report these public health concerns, the non-communicable diseases burden in Nigeria, and pro-health policies that prioritise citizens’ wellbeing.

He said, in addition, it will also equip the participants with the tools to identify and counter industry tactics that undermine the implementation of pro-health policies and promote the dissemination of evidence-based information to the public.

He stated, “Your role remains vital in ensuring that individuals, especially at the grassroots level, are well-informed and not misled by narratives promoted by vested interests in the big food industry.

“Through accurate, compelling, and investigative reporting, you can educate the public, hold stakeholders accountable, ensure that the issue of food-related diseases is at the forefront of public discourse, and advocate for healthier policies.”

The Deputy Director in the Non-Communicable Division of the Department of Public Health, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Amadi Dorothy, said that as healthy food policy advocacy continues to gain momentum nationwide, the role of the media remains vital in ensuring that individuals, especially at the grassroots level are well-informed and not misled by narratives promoted by vested interests in the big and fixed industry.

Poor Diets Fuel 30% Of Deaths in Nigeria, Experts Warn is first published on The Whistler Newspaper