World Heart Day: CAPPA Urges FG, States to Adopt Strong Healthy Food Policies …Calls for restrictions on junk food, tobacco, and related adverts targeting children

From Dooshima Terkura, Makurdi

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate World Heart Day 2025 tomorrow, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has urged the federal and state governments to immediately adopt comprehensive healthy food policies to curb the growing incidence of cardiovascular and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the country.

In a statement issued on Sunday by Robert Egbe, CAPPA’s Media and Communication Officer, the organisation called on authorities at all levels to embrace evidence-based measures. These include mandatory salt reduction targets, an effective sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) tax of at least ₦130 per litre, mandatory front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWL) on packaged and ultra-processed foods (UPF), restrictions on the advertising and marketing of junk foods, tobacco, and smokeless nicotine products—especially to children—as well as a significant increase in tobacco taxes to at least 100 percent.

CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, stressed that government must remain committed to channeling revenue from such taxes into strengthening Nigeria’s health sector.

“These measures are tested, cost-effective strategies that save lives and shield families from the devastating health and financial burdens associated with heart disease and related illnesses,” he said.

The statement highlighted the direct link between unhealthy diets and heart diseases, warning that excessive consumption of salt and sugar-sweetened beverages increases risks of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, all of which are major drivers of cardiovascular conditions. Tobacco use, it added, damages the heart and blood vessels, further raising risks of stroke and heart attacks.

“Nigeria is already facing the consequences. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are among the leading causes of death nationwide. The Nigerian Cardiac Society disclosed that about one-third of Nigerian adults live with high blood pressure, with figures rising to 40 percent in some areas. Shockingly, a third of hypertensive Nigerians remain undiagnosed, while another third have uncontrolled blood pressure despite knowing their status,” it noted.

The organisation also drew attention to Nigeria’s limited healthcare infrastructure.

“As of 2021, only 13 centres in the country performed heart surgeries, with just 80 heart surgeons catering to over 200 million people. Meanwhile, costs of surgery have surged—from about ₦3 million to between ₦5 million and ₦5.5 million in 2024—making treatment inaccessible to most families,” CAPPA said.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cardiovascular diseases cause 17.9 million deaths globally every year, with over 75 percent of these occurring in low- and middle-income countries such as Nigeria. The WHO stresses that most of these deaths are preventable through policies that reduce harmful risk factors like tobacco use, excessive salt and sugar intake, physical inactivity, and alcohol abuse.

World Heart Day, marked annually, seeks to raise awareness of CVDs, encourage individuals to embrace healthier lifestyles, and push governments to create enabling environments for heart health. These include broader healthcare access, stronger nutrition and tobacco control policies, promotion of active transport such as walking and cycling, and measures to cut air pollution.

CAPPA stressed that Nigeria cannot depend solely on individual responsibility in tackling CVDs and other NCDs, but must adopt strong government-driven policies that make healthier choices easier for citizens.

“Reducing salt in processed foods, enforcing clear warning labels, raising taxes on sugary drinks and tobacco, and restricting harmful marketing will significantly reduce Nigeria’s heart disease burden,” the statement said.

It added that such policies not only safeguard public health but also lower healthcare costs, boost productivity, and drive economic growth.

CAPPA therefore called for urgent and decisive action.

“We urge policymakers to put citizens before corporate profits by enforcing robust food and tobacco control measures. Protecting our hearts is protecting the nation’s future,” it concluded.