By Akinwale Kasali
The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, is perturbed by the Federal Government’s unserious approach ti the Sugar Sweetened Beverages, SSBs, Tax, stressing that the health of Nigerians should be treated with utmost priority. But the reverse is the case, it lamented.
At a one-day Capacity Building Programme for Social Movements and other Groups on the sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) Tax, Healthy Food Policies and Food Justice in Nigeria. CAPPA called for the implementation of effective food policies that will enhance healthy diet among Nigerians and also reduce the burden on Non Communicable Diseases, NCDs, in the country.
Bode Oluwafemi, the Group’s Executive Director said NCDs are responsible for about 41 million deaths yearly, equivalent to 71 per cent of all deaths globally, and the consumption of SSBs as risk factor of NCDs.
He stated that in Nigeria, nearly 30% of annual deaths are due to NCDs, such as diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart diseases, stroke, cancer, and oral health diseases, among a long list.
Oluwafemi added that in understanding this public health challenge, scientific studies and evidence have increasingly identified and singled out the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, SSBs, as a critical risk driver of NCDs and obesity, which is a pre-disposing health condition for NCDs.
He also noted that “to mitigate NCDs, therefore, the consumption of these beverages and unhealthy diet ought to be reduced.
“Across the world, taxes on SSBs have not only been proven to drive behavioural changes that improve public health but have also been confirmed to generate revenue that can be used to enhance public infrastructure and offset healthcare costs associated with NCDs.”
Joy Amafah, Nigeria In-Country Coordinator, Cardiovascular Health Program for Global Health Advocacy Incubator, GHAI, shared that healthy food is a human rights issue and social justice issue that needs to be upheld.
Amafah alleged that industry actors are working assiduously in ensuring that healthy foods are not easily accessible to the public.
She also noted that it is essential to check who the key players are and their roles in denying the citizens of their rights.
She however commended CAPPA’s efforts in promoting food justice in Nigeria and also called for a collective effort of all stakeholders to attain food justice in Nigeria.
Dr Nnimmo Bassey, Director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF, explained that access to safe and wholesome food is a fundamental human right, yet Nigerians are being exposed to Genetically Modified, GMOs, without their knowledge or consent.
Bassey in his keynote address stated that over 20 Genetically Modified, GMO, varieties have been approved in Nigeria, with some already in circulation, and many more imported as finished products.
The HOMEF Director expressed concern that Nigerians are unaware of the risks associated with GMOs, including biodiversity erosion, contamination of non-GMO crops, and health risks from herbicide tolerance.
He also highlighted the lack of transparency in the approval process, with risk assessment reports not made available to the public.
Bassey called for a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s biosafety law, citing its inadequacy in protecting Nigerians and the environment.
He urged the government to invest in supporting small-scale farmers, who produce 70 per cent of the world’s food, rather than relying on industrial farming and GMOs.
Bassey warned that the use of GMOs compromises Nigeria’s food security and resilience, perpetuating a system prioritising profits over people’s health and well-being.
He emphasised that the government must take immediate action to address these concerns and ensure that Nigerians have access to safe, wholesome food.
Dr Francis Fagbule, Public Health Specialist from University College Hospital, University of Ibadan who spoke on the SSBs and the Nigeria‘s NCD Buden shared that the consumption of ultra-processed foods is responsible for the rise in non-communicable diseases in Nigeria.
Fagbule, who explained that NCDs have multi-faceted effects on Nigerians, stressed that “there is associated economic burden that comes with increased sickness” adding that “out-of-pocket cost of NCDs was 10,193 to 10,750 and it is important to push for policies that will reduce health problems in Nigeria.”
The Public Health Specialist also noted that there are “private sector activities that affect people’s health, directly or indirectly, positively or negatively, including strategies and approaches used by the private sector to promote products and choices that are detrimental to health.”
He thereafter called for the implementation of a pro-health tax, noting that “the tax plays vital role to correct injustice in the food sector such as redirecting funds to public health initiatives; revenue generated from the SSB tax can be invested in public health programs, addressing socio-economic inequities and programs promoting healthy alternatives.”
Campaigners, public health experts, Media Executives, community members and researchers working on food justice in Nigeria attended the Capacity Building Programme.
