A recent petition on generating revenue from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) taxes to subsidise diabetes treatment is proving viable.

As part of a broader campaign by the National Action on Sugar Reduction Coalition (NASR), the petition requests that the Federal Government use the 10 naira/litre SSB tax (introduced in 2021) to fund diabetes treatment.

However, experts have raised an argument about whether sugar overconsumption and treatment for diabetes are the most critical needs in Nigeria.

The SSBs initiative, which seeks to combat the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Nigeria, got over 16,000 Nigerians from Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, and Enugu.

Nigeria has the highest diabetes prevalence in Africa, with low-income patients unable to afford proper treatment, leading to severe complications for many.

Following a proper analysis of data, it was obvious that there is no overconsumption of sugar in Nigeria. The claim of overconsumption of sugar in Nigeria is not supported by factual data. Malnutrition is more likely to cause health problems than sugar.

How Malnutrition is More Critical than Sugar Overconsumption in Nigeria

Data clearly indicates that issues like malnutrition pose far greater public health challenges in Nigeria than sugar overconsumption. While sugar intake remains at a reasonable level of 27g/day, an estimated 2 million children in Nigeria are affected by Severe Acute Malnutrition, UNICEF reports show.

The World Health Organisation, WHO, recommends 25g/day per person, and Nigeria’s average is within the safe threshold. Also, Nigeria ranks 155th out of 191 countries in obesity, indicating it’s not facing an obesity crisis.

The focus on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) alone as the cause of diabetes is most likely oversimplified. More so, the SSBs tax could be implemented in other ways to successfully raise revenue.

Nigeria currently charges ₦10 per litre, however, the taxes could be as high as ₦113 per litre—a 1,030% increase as proposed by CAPPA (Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa).