There have been agitations for the federal government to increase the sugar- sweetened beverages tax from N10 to N30 per litre. But TOPE SUNDAY in this report wonders if the tax will reduce the rising cases of diabetes across the country.
According to the document by the National Action on Sugar Reduction (NASR), the coalition, which advocates policy measures to tackle the health risks of consuming sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in Nigeria, the country has the highest diabetes prevalence in Africa, with six million living with the disease.
It noted that Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for over 90 per cent of diabetes cases, causes kidney failure, heart diseases, limb amputation, blindness etc., and places a huge burden on people living with the disease, particularly the poor and vulnerable.
The vulnerable
In her advocacy for the reduction in the rising cases of diabetes in Nigeria, the Dean, Medical and Clinical College, University of Abuja, Prof. Felicia Anuma, said it is pertinent for the government to support the diabetes’ patients, adding that the disease ‘is not cheap to manage.’
According to her, the disease has a total and worse effect on the poor Nigerians, adding that about N100, 000 or N150, 000 is needed weekly to treat the ailment, which she said, could be prevented at the early stage.
Anuma, who also noted that some of the patients could not afford to take care of themselves, called for the subsidy on their medications, and asked all Nigerians to go for an early diagnosis to know their status, adding that prevention is the most advisable way of treating the disease.
The SSB tax
The Coalition, which championed the 10% tax, introduced on the sugar sweetened beverages otherwise called soft drinks or non-alcoholic drinks, in one of its reports obtained by this reporter, noted that Nigeria is ranked the 4th highest soft drink consuming country globally (behind the United States, China and Mexico), with over 38 million litres of soft drinks sold yearly.
The excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, the coalition noted is associated with obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dental caries, liver disease and some cancers, claiming that there is a link between sugar-sweetened beverages and non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.
To this end, the group through its advocacy caused the federal government on December 31, 2021, to introduce a N10 per litre tax via the Finance Act (as a pro-health tax) on the SSBs. With the development, the Nigerian Customs Service started collection in July 2022.
Speaking on the development, an advocacy specialist and coalition member, Shirley Ewang, said the next phase of the advocacy is to sustain the tax and increase it to a level that will produce a price change impactful enough to discourage excessive SSB consumption.
Ewang said: “The next campaign phase will include measures to ensure the earmarking of the funds as a health policy tool, more specifically, by ensuring that funds go towards curbing non-communicable diseases.”
Further increment necessary
But barely one year after the tax was introduced, the programme coordinator, Project Pink One, Gloria Chineye Okwu, called for the increment of the SSB tax from N10 to N30 per litre, arguing that the hike in price would discourage the consumption of the sugar sweetened beverages and non-alcoholic drinks in the country.
She called on the government to channel the revenue generated from the SSB tax to the provision of health care to serve some Nigerians living with the disease.
Also, the coalition, the National Action on Sugar Reduction (NASR), advocated a 30-naira per litre tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs).
Commenting on the development, an advocacy specialist with Gatefield, a public communications firm, Ms Shirley Ewang, said: Nigeria’s recently introduced sugar-sweetened beverage tax is an important policy with the potential to prevent diabetes and save lives. However, at only 10 naira per litre, Nigeria’s SSB tax raises prices by only 6.7 per cent.
“National Action on Sugar Reduction is advocating a tax policy that raises SSB prices by 20 per cent, a tax rate that, according to evidence from the World Health Organisation, will make a significant health impact by discouraging purchase and consumption of sugary beverages.”
Earlier, this medium had reported on how 62% of Nigerians, according to a survey conducted by polling firm, NOI Polls, in partnership with Gatefield, Research Hub Africa, and the Federal Ministry of Health, agreed that a tax on soft drinks will help to lower the high costs of managing non-communicable diseases like diabetes.
The perception survey, which was presented by a researcher at Research Hub, Mr. Akinola Akinwumi, also disclosed that 54% of Nigerians would also support a tax on soft drinks if the tax revenue were reinvested in the provision of healthcare services.
According to the survey, about 90% of Nigerians drank at least one soft drink each week, and around 40% drank them daily.
“Non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer account for one in three deaths in Nigeria, yet, less than 50% of Nigerians are aware that soft drink consumption is associated with an increased risk of these diseases,” the report indicated.
Researchers also cited studies from Mexico and South Africa, showing that sugar-sweetened beverage taxes have significant health and economic benefits when effectively implemented.
Govt’s involvement key
Speaking with Blueprint Weekend, the national secretary, Diabetes Association of Nigeria, Comrade Bernard Enyia, was optimistic that tax would discourage and reduce the excessive consumption of sugar sweetened beverages.
He said: “Of course when there is an increase in the prices of sugar sweetened beverages, it will discourage and reduce the excessive consumption with its attendant reduction in incidence of diabetes morbidity. The result for now is still insignificant but will definitely increase when the money is eventually ploughed back into diabetes and NCDs intervention.”
Enyia, who called on the government to channel the generated funds on the SSB tax into diabetes care, advocated compulsory diabetes’ screening for every patient that visits the hospital.
“The government should ensure that funds generated from this pro health tax are channelled into diabetes care as well as intensify diabetes awareness by sponsoring promos in the federal government owned media organisations. Also, there should be training for the health care practitioners on how to observe early warning signs and early diagnosis which can prevent Type 2 diabetes; and government should make diabetes screening compulsory for every patient that visit the hospital.
“Persons living with diabetes should be engaged in the decision making process, and build their capacity and empower them towards self care and sustainable coping mechanisms. The SSB tax should be increased to at least N30:00 per litre in line with international best practices as recommended by the WHO.
“The government should also implement the budgetary allocation of 40% health care financing recommended by theWHO, and subsidise the cost of insulin by giving waivers to import tariffs and make diabetes screening Free in all health facilities in Nigeria.
“It should also sponsor a diabetes retreat for wives of governors as soon as their husbands win elections to strategically motivate them to take on diabetes care as their pet project. Also, diabetes education should be integrated into the secondary school’s curriculum and general studies of tertiary institutions to expand the scope of diabetes education in Nigeria.”
