Diabetes and Wellbeing: A National Development Perspective
By Opeyemi Ibitoye
Nigeria is standing at a turning point in its public health journey. While infectious diseases once defined our national health priorities, a quieter epidemic is now shaping our future: diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
From what sits on our plates to what is aggressively marketed on our screens, food has become one of the biggest determinants of national wellbeing.
Nigeria’s diabetes burden is rising at an alarming pace. The International Diabetes Federation estimated a 3% prevalence among adults aged 20–79 in 2024, around 3 million people, giving Nigeria the highest number of adults living with diabetes in Africa.
But emerging evidence suggests the real figure could be twice as high, with up to 8 million adults affected and nearly half of them undiagnosed.
The consequences are devastating: higher rates of heart disease, kidney failure, disability and premature deaths.
Diet is a major culprit. The 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey showed that 41% of children aged 6-23 months consume sugary drinks, while only 12% receive a minimally diverse diet. Early exposure to harmful foods is setting up millions of children for lifelong health problems.
At the same time, the 2024 Global Food Policy Report revealed that 80% of Nigerians could not afford a healthy diet in 2022—an indictment of deep economic and food system inequalities.
These trends come at a heavy cost. NCDs now cause nearly 600 deaths per 100,000 Nigerians and have overtaken infectious diseases as the country’s leading killer. Beyond the human impact, poor nutrition is draining productivity, straining the health system and worsening poverty.
This is why strong, evidence-based food policies are not optional—they are a national economic and developmental imperative. When manufacturers profit from ultra-processed, high-salt, high-sugar foods, while society bears the health costs, government must step in.
Nigeria must move decisively on three fronts:
Fiscal action: A robust sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax reduces consumption and provides revenue for nutrition programmes. Subsidies for fresh, whole foods can help close the affordability gap.
Regulation: Restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods, especially to children, is long overdue.
Information: Mandatory, easy-to-understand Front-of-Pack labels would empower consumers and reduce deception in food marketing.
The National Policy on Food Safety and Quality (2024) and the expiring National Policy on Food and Nutrition (2016–2025) must evolve into bolder frameworks that reshape Nigeria’s food environment, from schools to hospitals and public institutions.
World Diabetes Day 2025 should be more than symbolism. It should signal a renewed commitment to ensuring that the convenience of modern diets does not come at the cost of national health.
Nigeria’s future depends on transforming its food system into one that protects, nourishes and sustains its people.
Opeyemi Ibitoye is Programme Officer, Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) Tax at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Abuja.
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