Business
SSB Consumption and the NCD Burden in Nigeria: The Challenge of Consumer Education
SSB Consumption and the NCD Burden in Nigeria: The Challenge of Consumer Education
By Patrick Iwelunmor
One of the greatest banes to actualising a robust national food policy in Nigeria has been the failure of SSB manufacturers to entrench sound consumer education initiatives, even as they smile to the bank with multi-billion naira returns on investment at the expense of their consumers’ health. Most of these consumers, including vulnerable populations such as children, are sadly carried away by the fascinating storylines of the advertising campaigns of sugar-sweetened beverages. As a result, they are subconsciously influenced to make buying decisions that become detrimental to their well-being in the long run.
Nigeria ranks 4th globally in the highest SSB consumers. The country sells an estimated 38.6 million liters of sugar-sweetened beverages annually in a market that accounts for a whooping US$16.87bn in 2023, with a projected annual growth rate of 16.63 percent. What this portends is that non-communicable diseases like diabetes, obesity and tooth decay, which have been linked to the consumption of SSBs, could witness an upward swing in the coming years if the government and other stakeholders, especially the SSB manufacturers, do not intensify consumer education programmes to sensitise the public on the dangers embedded in these bottled disasters. In addition, SSB manufacturers must ethically draw the line between profit-making and jeopardising consumers’ health.
According to a document, National Multi-Sectoral Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (2019 – 2025), obtained from the Federal Ministry of Health, There is very little evidence on the burden of NCDs and its trend in Nigeria. However, a recent systematic review of NCDs-related evaluation carried out across the federation on seven NCD diseases – cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, chronic respiratory diseases, cancers, sickle cell disease, mental neurological and substance use disorders and road traffic injuries, indicates a rise in trend, prevalence and incidence. The document also clearly identified the consumption of refined sugars in foods and drinks as one of the risk factors for the escalation of NCDs in Nigeria. The document on the statistical overview of the SSB burden in Nigeria reads: “According to the WHO NCD Country profile 2016 report, NCDs were estimated to cause approximately 617,300 deaths, representing 29% of total deaths in Nigeria. Out of these, injuries accounted for 8%, followed by cardiovascular diseases with 11%. Premature mortality due to NCDs, which is defined as the probability of dying between ages 30 and 70 years from the main NCDs is 22%.”
Though SSB manufacturers, like Coca-Cola, have always claimed that there is no empirical evidence to show that sugar-sweetened beverages predispose consumers to non-communicable diseases, experts in the medical and nutrition professions have always warned that continuous consumption of soft drinks or ultra-processed foods can lead to harmful outcomes for the human system. It was to this end that the popular sugar wars ensued in the United States, with the advocacy group, The Praxis Project filing a lawsuit against Coca-Cola for using deceptive advertising to mislead consumers about the health impact of their products. Similar cases have also been recorded in other parts of the world with overwhelming scientific consensus about the harmful effects of sugar on human health, even though SSB manufacturers have continued to deny it.
When contacted to explain the efforts his company was making in terms of educating its teeming consumers on the reality of SSBs’ link with non-communicable diseases like diabetes, Mr. Ekuma Eze, Director of Public Affairs and Sustainability at Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, promised to liaise with the marketing department and get back to this writer. His response is still being awaited. It is the same situation with letters sent to the marketing heads of CHI Ltd., makers of Chivita, Rite Foods, makers of Bigi Cola, and Viju Industries, makers of Viju Milk. None of them has responded to queries sent to them. Is this silence a sign of complicity in the shortchanging and deception of consumers? Time will surely tell. This collective silence makes a mockery of the Freedom of Information Act of 2011 which empowers individuals, groups and bodies to access information from public and private institutions offering services to the Nigerian public. More so, it is imperative for these SSB manufacturers to understand that the information being requested is a tool that would enable better outcomes for their products and services in terms of quality control and assurance and not a strategy for faultfinding. Until such manufacturers cooperate and make the needed information available to the public, bridging the gap of consumer awareness and education would remain a mirage.
However, Dr Patrick Ijewere, CEO of The Nutrition Hospital, Lagos, agrees that there is an ongoing imbalance between consumer education and deception by the manufacturers of SSBs, for the sake of maximising profit. Although, according to the nutrition expert, the manufacturers of SSBs are always deploying fantastic advertising to lure consumers with illusory realities such as Coca-Cola’s “Tomorrow’s People” ad of the mid-eighties and Nestle’s Milo “Food Drink of Future Champions” of the nineties, there has not been commensurate efforts in terms of educating consumers on the harmful effects of sugar consumption on health. For him, there are no future champions anywhere near Milo, only obese children with decaying dentition and failing eyesight. He, therefore, advocated for educational labelling on such products as it is done in the tobacco industry worldwide.
While harping on the importance of consumer awareness and education in Nigeria, the President of Consumer Awareness Organisation, an Enugu-based NGO and former Board Member International Association of Consumer Law, Professor Felicia Monye, lamented the low level of consumer education in the country, adding that it is not at the level it should be. She said that even though there are many agencies and available laws centred on consumer protection, there has been a serious lack of dedication on the part of policymakers. She also believes that most consumer-focused agencies see consumer protection as ancillary and not as a principal obligation, hence the lackadaisical attitude of most manufacturers in properly educating their consumers. For products like SSBs capable of causing harm to health, she said, the attachment of warning labels should be part of the obligation of their manufacturers.
For Consultant Endocrinologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Dr Akin Dada, SSBs contribute to the rise in diabetes cases in Nigeria, especially where there is a family history or the presence of other risk factors for the disease. He added that diabetes ranks number two among the most prevalent non-communicable diseases in the country. Therefore, he advocated for measures such as consumer health education by both government and the manufacturers of SSBs towards de-escalating the 5 to 7 per cent prevalence rate of NCDs which also accounts for over 29 per cent of total deaths in the country.
On why the 10 Naira per litre of SSB tax, as contained in the Finance Act of 2021, has not made the much-desired impact, Professor of Microbiology and Medical Laboratory Scientist, Louis Egwari, Director of Training and Research at QSM Training and Consulting Ltd., believes that it would take a while for the tax to be effective because the government may have adopted the policy, bearing in mind the economic implications it would have on both consumers and the manufacturers if it is suddenly increased above the stipulated 10 Naira. According to him, there are strong possibilities that the tax would be graduated to higher sums in the coming years.
Professor Egwari also lamented the low level of consumer education in the country. He blamed the development on stakeholders like NGOs and government agencies, who have failed to be proactive either because they are negligent or because they are receiving “funding” from politicians, who have special stakes in some of these SSB companies. When contacted for her comments on the efforts being made by the Department of Food and Drugs of the Federal Ministry of Health towards ensuring that Nigerian consumers are protected, especially with regards to the consumption of SSBs, Pharm Bunmi Aribeana, director of the department, asked this writer to send his queries, which she has not responded to, as at the time of filing in this report.
Meanwhile, in a swift reaction to the reason SSB manufacturers seem not to be doing enough in terms of consumer education, Chairman Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, said the situation was so because the government, which collects tax from these SSB manufacturers is supposed to be at the forefront of spearheading such consumer education causes, through agencies like the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Health Education Unit at the Federal Ministry of Health. He also argued that the link between SSBs and non-communicable diseases is indirect, adding that the manufacturers of these SSBs can argue that they have also made available zero-sugar options for those who do not want the sugar-sweetened variants.
Corroborating the position of Senator Oloriegbe, foremost Marketing Communication Specialist and CEO of XLR8, award-winning Public Relations firm, Pharm Calixtus Okoruwa, agreed that it is the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Health to respond to perceived or potential public health challenges. He also noted that it should be the responsibility of SSB manufacturers to help drive consumer education initiatives targeted at more appropriate or healthier consumption of their products, especially from the corporate governance point of view. He absolved marketing communication agencies of any wrongdoing or complicity in the seeming failure to properly educate consumers while mesmerising them with “sugar-coated” adverts, adding that their activities are duly vetted and regulated by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Responding to the possibility of marketing communication companies conniving with SSB manufacturers to deceive consumers through misleading advertising campaigns, thereby stifling the clamour for consumer awareness and education, ARCON’s Head of Legal Affairs, Barrister Chukwudi Ezeaba, said the council advocates for consumer education to the extent permitted by its statutory responsibilities. He added that such advocacy features in their annual training and sensitisation calendar. He further observed that the Advertising Standards Panel, which has the statutory duty of ensuring that adverts conform to relevant laws and codes of ethics, would not shut its eyes where incidences of excesses are found, regardless of the product or service.
For public health expert and CEO of Bloom Public Health, an Abuja-based public health think-tank, Professor Chimezie Anyakora, one of the most important strategies for improving and adopting healthy dietary practices in Africa remains the promotion of consumer awareness and demand for healthy foods. According to Anyakora, these can be achieved by educating children, adolescents and adults about nutrition and healthy dietary practices, supporting point-of-sale information through comprehensive nutrition labelling, and providing nutrition and dietary counselling at primary healthcare facilities.
Critically speaking, there is no gainsaying the fact that government and all other stakeholders must urgently map out strategies to decisively bridge the consumer education gap in the relationship between manufacturers of SSBs and their consumers. Importantly, the government should consider enforcing the mandatory use of labelling to warn consumers of SSBs on the potential dangers associated with consuming sugar-sweetened beverages, as done in the tobacco industry. We can have warnings such as: “The Federal Ministry of Health Warns that excess sugar is dangerous to health”, “This product is unsuitable for diabetics, etc.” Such warning labels have proven to be effective in curbing overconsumption of sugar-sweetened beverages as demonstrated in Chile, where a 2016 food labelling and advertising regulation brought about a 25 percent drop in the consumption of SSBs. For a multi-lingual and multi-cultural setting like Nigeria, such warning labels, when translated into different local languages, can help consumers make informed dietary choices and avoid endangering their health by staying away from the wrong beverages. This is achievable in Nigeria, if the government can muster the political will.
GTCO Launches “Take on Squad” Hackathon 3.0, Opens Call for Applications
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or the “Group”) has announced the launch of “Take on Squad” Hackathon 3.0, reaffirming its commitment to fostering innovation, empowering talent, and supporting the development of technology-driven solutions that address real-world challenges across Africa.
Now in its third edition, the Hackathon brings together developers, designers and entrepreneurs across Nigeria in a collaborative environment to build practical solutions across key sectors including financial services, healthcare, commerce and digital inclusion. Under the theme “Smart Systems: The Intelligent Economy,” participants are challenged to design and build intelligent, data-driven solutions that transform how communities engage with money.
Applications are now open, and interested teams can find full guidelines and registration details on the official portal at https://squadco.com/hackathon.
Speaking on the initiative, Eduophon Japhet, Managing Director of HabariPay, stated: “Today’s dynamic, digitally driven world demands continuous innovation, which is shaping how economies grow, how businesses scale, and how societies evolve. Through “Take on Squad” Hackathon, we are deliberately investing in the ideas and talent that will define the future. Our objective is not simply to encourage innovation, but to enable its translation into scalable solutions that deliver real and measurable impact. This reflects GTCO’s role as a financial services platform that connects capital, capability, and creativity to drive sustainable progress.”
The social coding event remains a cornerstone of HabariPay’s mission to foster creativity and problem-solving among emerging tech talents. Competing teams will leverage Squad’s advanced APIs to create scalable digital tools that address everyday challenges faced by businesses and individuals.
Through initiatives such as this, GTCO continues to position itself at the intersection of finance, technology and enterprise, actively shaping the future of digital transformation in Africa.
About HabariPay
HabariPay Ltd is the fintech subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), one of the largest financial services institutions in Africa with direct and indirect investments in a network of operating entities located in 10 countries across Africa and the United Kingdom.
Licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), our goal is to support SMEs, micro merchants, large corporations and other fintechs (Tech Stars) with the tools they need to thrive in an evolving digital economy and expand beyond their current market reach. HabariPay’s solutions include Squad, a full-scale digital payments toolkit to make in-person and online payments simpler, HabariPay Storefront, an e-commerce website to facilitate online purchases, Value-Added Services to help merchants access cost-effective and flexible airtime and data bundles to run their businesses, as well as a switching infrastructure that enables tech-focused businesses to optimise cost and make transactions more efficient.
HabariPay’s contributions to Accelerating Digital Acceptance in Africa have not gone unnoticed–it received Mastercard’s Innovative Mobile Payment Solution Award at TIA 2022 for its innovative payment solution, SquadPOS.
About Squad
Squad is a complete digital payments solution that is reliable, secure, and affordable, making receiving in-person and online payments simpler and convenient.
Thousands of merchants currently leverage Squad’s payment solutions for their daily business operations. Squad’s current products and service offerings include SquadPOS, Squad Payment Links, Squad Virtual Accounts, USSD, and E-Commerce Storefront.
Find out more at www.squadco.com.
Electric 8-Seater Tula Moto Keke Enters Nigerian Market, Targets Higher Operator Earnings
LAGOS — A new electric-powered tricycle with an expanded passenger capacity has been introduced into Nigeria’s urban transport sector, offering operators a potentially more profitable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional petrol-driven “keke.”
The newly launched 8-seater electric tricycle, now available in Lagos with plans for nationwide distribution, features a dual-row seating arrangement capable of accommodating up to eight passengers per trip—significantly higher than the standard three-passenger configuration common across the country.
Promoters of the innovation say the increased capacity is designed to boost daily earnings for operators, particularly amid persistent fluctuations in fuel prices. By running entirely on electric power, the vehicle eliminates dependence on petrol, reducing operating costs and shielding drivers from fuel price volatility.
According to the distributors, the tricycle is equipped with a durable battery system capable of covering extended distances on a single charge, making it suitable for commercial operations across high-traffic routes, residential estates, campuses, and marketplaces.
“The concept is straightforward—enable drivers to earn more while spending less,” a company representative stated. “With higher passenger capacity and zero fuel requirements, operators can maximise each trip without the burden of daily fuel expenses.”
Beyond its cost-saving potential, the electric keke is also said to require less maintenance than traditional models, offering additional long-term savings. Its quieter and smoother operation is expected to enhance passenger comfort and overall commuting experience.
Industry analysts note that the introduction of electric mobility solutions reflects a growing shift toward cleaner and more sustainable transportation alternatives in Nigeria, particularly in densely populated urban centres such as Lagos.
The distributors added that the product is currently available under a limited promotional offer, with delivery options across the country.
For inquiries and purchase: 📞 08153432071
📞 08035889103
Office Address:
📍 Plot 9, Block 113, Beulah Plaza,
Lekki–Epe Expressway,
Lekki Phase 1, Lagos
As transportation costs continue to rise and environmental concerns gain prominence, innovations like the electric 8-seater keke may signal an emerging transition toward more efficient and sustainable mobility solutions nationwide.
Business
A Pipeline, a Licence, and a Storm Brewing: Corruption allegations Draw global oil giant, Shell, Into Nigeria’s Reform Test
*A Pipeline, a Licence, and a Storm Brewing: Corruption allegations Draw global oil giant, Shell, Into Nigeria’s Reform Test*
By Deji Johnson and Mustapha Bello
t begins with a pipeline that should have been completed by June 2026. It widens into a regulatory dispute. And it now risks becoming a defining test of Nigeria’s gas reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
At the center is a stalled 80 kilometre gas pipeline from Sagamu to Ibadan, a project backed by over 100 million dollars in investment and built on a protected Gas Distribution Licence issued under the Petroleum Industry Act 2021. The licence granted NGML–NIPCO exclusive rights to distribute gas within Ibadan for 25years based on Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act.
On paper, the law is clear. On the ground, the situation is anything but.
For more than three months, construction has been halted following a stop work order issued by the Oyo State Government led by former Shell Contractor and engineer, Governor Seyi Makinde. No detailed public justification has been provided that aligns with existing federal approvals already secured for the project.
What might have remained a quiet regulatory disagreement has now escalated into something far more politically charged. How?
In recent remarks, Nigeria’s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who is of the same political party as Governor Seyi Makinde, made a pointed allegation that has since rippled across political and industry circles. He suggested that the Governor of Oyo State and Shell were in what could be described as an “unholy alliance.”
It is a serious claim. One that, if substantiated, would raise profound questions about the intersection of corporate influence, state level action, and federal law.
Neither Shell nor the Oyo State Government has publicly responded in detail to the allegation.
But the silence is now part of the story.
*THE SHELL QUESTION*
For Shell, this moment carries particular weight.
The company has operated in Nigeria for decades, building one of its most significant global portfolios in the Niger Delta. But that history is not without controversy. From corruption claims to environmental damage claims and community disputes amongst others, Shell has faced years of litigation and, in several high profile cases, adverse rulings tied to its operations in the region.
Those cases, many adjudicated in foreign courts, have shaped a negative reputation that continues to follow the company.
Now, a new question emerges.
Is Shell once again operating at the edge of Nigeria’s regulatory framework seeking to exert undue influence in circumventing Nigeria’s petroleum laws, or firmly within it?
Industry sources including a widely reported meeting between their representatives, Oyo State Government representatives and the newly appointed midstream and downstream chief executive, indicate that engagements involving Shell and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority could enable the company to enter a gas distribution zone already licensed to another operator in breach of the PIA.
If true, the implications are immediate and far reaching.
A licence meant to protect investors and investments in Nigeria’s gas space ceases to be exclusive against the dictates of the guiding laws. A framework begins to look flexible, and a reform risks appearing reversible.
To many, it seems more than just a commercial dispute and is not just about one company versus another.
Nigeria is in the middle of an energy transition where gas is expected to play a central role in powering industries, stabilising electricity supply, and reducing reliance on expensive diesel. President Bola Tinubu has emerged as a global champion of using gas as a transition fuel in Nigeria and Africa whilst rolling out elaborate but clearly defined plans to achieve it. Yet gas availability remains inconsistent, constraining power generation and limiting industrial output.
Projects like the Sagamu to Ibadan pipeline are designed to close that gap. To halt such a project is to delay not just infrastructure, but impact. To undermine its legal basis is to question the system that enabled it and to introduce competing claims within the same licensed zone is to risk regulatory confusion at a time when clarity is most needed.
This is where the issue moves from commercial to national because at stake is not only an investment, but the credibility of the reform architecture itself.
*OYO STATE AND THE FEDERAL QUESTION*
The role of the Oyo State Government adds another layer of complexity.
Energy regulation in Nigeria, particularly in the gas sector, is governed by federal law. Yet implementation often intersects with state authority, creating spaces where jurisdiction can blur.
The stop work order issued on the pipeline has become the clearest manifestation of that tension. Was it a regulatory necessity?
A precautionary measure? Or, as alleged by Minister Wike, part of a broader alignment with external interests? Without transparency, speculation fills the vacuum and the regulator must avoid finding itself mired in such allegations.
*QUESTIONS THAT WILL NOT GO AWAY*
For Shell, the questions are now direct and unavoidable:
Is Shell, a global energy giant, seeking to operate within the Ibadan gas distribution zone already licensed to NGML–NIPCO?
What assurances, if any, has it received from regulators or state actors?
How does it reconcile such actions with the exclusivity provisions of the PIA?
For the regulator, NMDPRA:
Can a Gas Distribution Licence be effectively shared, diluted, or overridden after issuance? According to Nigerian laws, the answer is No.
What precedent does this set for Nigeria’s gas infrastructure market?
For the Oyo State Government:
On what legal grounds does the stop work order stand, given federal approvals already in place?
And how does this action align with national energy priorities or the state’s gas needs?
Nigeria has spent the last two years telling a new story to the world. A story of reform, of discipline, of a country ready to compete for global capital. And it has worked so far with stability returning to Nigeria’s economy and over $20bn of energy investments looking to enter the country in the short to midterm.
But reforms are not tested in policy papers. They are tested in moments like this.
Moments where law meets influence, investment meets interference and promise meets pressure.
For Shell, long mired in issues surrounding ethical operations in Nigeria, this is more than a business decision. It is a reputational crossroads.
For Nigeria, it is something even larger. Whether the country’s laws will hold when they are most challenged or Whether its reforms will stand when they are most inconvenient or even whether Nigeria’s energy investments future will be shaped by the rules of law, adherence to regulatory protections and provisions or by unethical and corrupt relationships.
Until those questions are answered clearly, publicly, and decisively, the pipeline in Ibadan will remain more than steel in the ground.
It will remain a symbol of a country still deciding which path it truly intends to follow. Nigeria must act quickly and decisively because the world is watching.
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