Group seeks FG's action on policies on beverages to reduce deadly diseases

A group, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa(CAPPA), has called for the implementation of the federal government policies designed to reduce the rising cases of deaths traced to the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that resulted from unhealthy food and beverage consumption.

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The Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, made the call during the opening of the Youth Bootcamp for Food Justice 2025 at the Warm Springs Resort, Ikogosi-Ekiti, Ekiti West Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

Mr Oluwafemi listed the three government policies as effective taxation of unhealthy products, clear front-of-pack warning labels, and sodium reduction, which he said, if implemented, could reshape Nigeria’s food environment, reduce the burden of disease, and save lives.

He noted that the drivers of the deadly diseases are the consumption of ultra-processed products and foods high in fat and sugar, warning that, “i is now stands as one of the greatest threats to the health and future of our country.”

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The bootcamp, which had participants across the six geopolitical zones in the country, was organised by CAPPA in partnership with the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) towards safeguarding the public health for the nation’s growth and development.

Mr Oluwafemi noted that the conference was convened to build the capacity of the youth in joining the advocacy for a healthier environment, where the production of these items would be done in line with the acceptable health standards.

He explained that the rising cases of deadly diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, stroke and cancers have been identified as the manifestations of the epidemic of NCDs from the volume of unhealthy food such as beverages.

Releasing a troubling data on the impacts on the nation’s health as released by the World Health Organisation, the executive director stated that NCDs contributed to 30 per cent of deaths recorded in Nigeria.

According to him, “Even more troubling is that 22 per cent of these deaths occur prematurely, between the ages of 30 and 69—years that should be the most productive in family and national life.

“Hypertension now affects about one in three adults in urban Nigeria. Obesity is climbing steadily, particularly among women and young people, with urban rates approaching one in five. Diabetes, once rare, is now estimated to affect between four and seven per cent of the population, translating into millions of Nigerians managing a lifelong and costly disease.

“The drivers of this crisis are evident. Nigeria’s food environment has greatly altered in the last two decades, with more people consuming ultra-processed products and foods high in fat, salt, and sugar such as soft drinks, instant noodles, salty snacks, and fast foods.

“What makes this worse is the heavy advertising and marketing, often aimed at children and youth. They promote those unhealthy foods as modern, desirable, and convenient, while hiding their health risks and making healthier options harder to choose.

“In some cases, unhealthy products are also cheaper and easier to find than nutritious alternatives, and their increasing consumption has fueled the rapid rise of non-communicable diseases across the country.”

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Mr Oluwafemi appealed to the federal government to increase the taxes on non-alcoholic and sweetened drinks, among other regulatory interventions towards controlling the consumption behaviour in the country.

In his keynote address, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos, Adelaja Odukoya, a professor, said the institution would be ready to partner with CAPPA in the advocacy drive in achieving the expected transformation.

“The community must take control of what they eat, but what we have now is not justice, as long as there are forces that profit from injustice, the struggle for food justice cannot be a tea party,” Mr Odukoya said.