By Peter Omopo
August 31, 2025
A non-governmental organisation, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), has urged Nigerians and policymakers to take collective action in addressing public health challenges linked to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer.
Speaking at the Nigerian Food Festival during the Youth Boot Camp for Food Justice 2025, held on Saturday at the Ikogosi Warm and Cold Springs Resort in Ekiti State, CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, said the rising consumption of unhealthy foods was fueling the spread of NCDs nationwide.
“The issue of non-communicable diseases is on the rise in the country. Public health can no longer be treated as an individual action; it has to be a collective intervention,” Ibeh said.
She called for legislation to regulate the promotion of unhealthy foods, front-of-pack labelling on products, and stronger collaboration with agencies such as the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to ensure Nigerians have access to healthier diets.
“If a product is high in salt or sugar, Nigerians should be able to pick it up and easily see that it is unhealthy. You don’t need to be a professor of nutrition to understand these things,” she added.
The food festival, jointly organised by CAPPA and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, showcased healthy Nigerian dishes and taught 60 youth participants how to prepare meals using natural seasonings and spices.
CAPPA’s Associate Director on Food Justice Programme, Abayomi Sarumi, said the initiative aimed to build a movement of young advocates pushing for effective policies to expand healthy food environments across Nigeria.
He expressed concern that younger people were increasingly presenting with illnesses previously associated with the wealthy and elderly, warning that “their future is threatened unless urgent action is taken.”
The Director-General of the Ekiti State Office of Development Partnership, Abiodun Oyeleye, who represented the state government, praised CAPPA’s choice of Ekiti for the programme, describing the state as a hub for organic foods.
“This is a very good programme that educates young people about healthy food intake. In Ekiti, we are committed to food security and youth health, and this intervention aligns with our efforts,” Oyeleye said.
