The Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Akinbode Oluwafemi, has called for stronger government action against the rising consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in Nigeria.
He warned that the country is facing a growing public health and environmental crisis fuelled by aggressive marketing by beverage corporations.
Speaking at the screening of CAPPA’s new documentary titled: Sweet Poison in Lagos, Oluwafemi said sugary drinks had become deeply embedded in everyday Nigerian life despite mounting evidence linking them to non-communicable diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, stroke, kidney disease and cardiovascular complications.
According to him, the documentary seeks to expose the hidden dangers behind the “bright labels, catchy jingles and colourful campaigns” used by beverage companies to promote sugary drinks.
“We are witnessing a steady rise in non-communicable diseases, increasingly affecting younger populations and placing enormous pressure on families and an already overstretched health system,” he said.
Oluwafemi described the issue as not only a health concern but also “a media story, a policy story, an environmental story, and ultimately, a human story.”
The CAPPA director noted that Sweet Poison features the experiences and perspectives of medical experts, policymakers, traders, students, fishermen and ordinary Nigerians to examine how sugary drinks became dominant in the country’s food culture.
He also drew attention to the environmental impact of the beverage industry, particularly plastic pollution caused by single-use packaging.
“Communities are increasingly paying the environmental price for corporate profit,” he stated.
While clarifying that the documentary was not aimed at demonising consumers, Oluwafemi said it was intended to challenge the systems and commercial interests influencing dietary choices.
He urged the Federal Government to strengthen Nigeria’s Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) tax introduced under the Finance Act 2021, arguing that the current N10-per-litre excise duty was insufficient to discourage excessive consumption.
“If we are serious about protecting public health, then Nigeria must move toward a stronger and smarter SSB tax framework,” he said, adding that revenues from such taxes should be channelled into health promotion and nutrition programmes.
Also speaking at the event, the Regional Senior Advisor for Food Policy Programme in Africa at the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) warned that non-communicable diseases were increasingly affecting adolescents and young people due to changing dietary patterns and the growing consumption of ultra-processed foods and sugary beverages.
He said aggressive advertising by food and beverage companies had shaped public behaviour and encouraged unhealthy consumption habits.
“We are consistently seeing food companies putting profits ahead of public health,” he said.
The adviser argued that increasing taxes on sugary drinks could help reduce overconsumption by making such products less affordable.
“Some people can drink three bottles of sugary beverages a day. If higher prices reduce that to one bottle, it creates a healthier environment,” he said.
Chief Executive Officer of Stradev Nigeria, Dr. Leslie Adogame, described the documentary as an important intervention linking public health concerns with environmental degradation.
Adogame said his organisation had campaigned for over 15 years on issues relating to tobacco, water commodification and environmental health, adding that sugary drinks posed both health and ecological dangers.
He highlighted the role of plastic waste generated by beverage packaging, warning that plastics contain hazardous chemicals harmful to human health and the environment.
According to him, multinational beverage companies were among the highest contributors to plastic pollution in Nigeria.
Adogame recalled his experience in Scotland, where schools prohibited fizzy drinks for children, noting that similar policies could help protect Nigerian children from unhealthy consumption habits.
A diabetes survivor, Ronke Opaleye, shared her personal experience living with the disease, stressing that many people consume sugary drinks out of ignorance or addiction.
“Some people are so addicted that they have to take these drinks every time they eat,” she said, adding that public awareness about the dangers of excessive sugar intake remained low.
Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Saheed Balogun, called for practical recommendations and stronger public education on the complications associated with diabetes.
Balogun, an orthopaedic surgeon, said he had treated several severe diabetic cases involving amputations and fatalities.
“When we are talking about diabetes, it is not only about sugar. It is about the complications that can arise from it, kidney problems, heart disease, loss of limbs,” he said.
He, however, cautioned against portraying sugar entirely as “poison,” noting that sugar could still have legitimate medical uses in some circumstances.
On his part, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at University of Lagos, Professor Adelaja Odutola Odukoya, described the debate around sugary drinks as fundamentally a governance and policy issue.
According to Odukoya, the documentary raises critical questions about power, corporate influence and public welfare.
“Sweet Poison is not merely a documentary about sugar. It is a documentary about who exercises power, who profits from it, and who pays the price,” he said.
The documentary screening forms part of CAPPA’s broader advocacy for healthier food policies, stronger regulation of sugary drinks, environmental justice and greater corporate accountability in Nigeria.
