With a properly defined advocacy and improved media capacity on Sugar Sweetened Beverages, SSBs, the Federal Government can be made to increase the tax and earmark same for public health.
This was the position of Corporate Accountability & Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, expressed at the opening of its two-day “Journalism Trainin on SSB Tax & Industry Monitoring” in Lagos today, Monday.
During his welcome address, Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of CAPPA, recalled that in 2021, through the Finance Act 2021, the Federal Government imposed a N10/litre excise duty on SSBs to discourage the over-consumption of sugary drinks.
He said tax reduces the consumption of these beverages and, consequently, reduces sugar addition into the human body, and ultimately, reduce the health burden associated with its consumption.
“Though implementation was delayed till June 2022, we have since then mobilised CSOs, local and international partners, CBOs, and individual advocates in series of engagements to drive this campaign to fruition,” Oluwafemi said.
He noted that for the two days of training, supported by Global Health Advocacy Incubator, GHAI, “We would be digging deep into issues from different angles and perspectives, through your improved capacity on this specific issue;
“To enable us define a proper media advocacy that will not only see that the government of Nigeria increases this tax but also earmark it for public health.”
Facilitators in today’s training were Adeolu Adebiyi, Senior Regional Policy Advisor, Food Programme, GHAI, who treated “Healthy Food Policies in Nigeria: Legal landscape analysis for SSB tax”; Dr. Francis Fagbule, Public Health Consultant, University College Hospital, UI, “The Burden of SSB Consumption on Public Health”.
Also, Dayo Aiyetan, Executive Director of International Centre for Investigative Reporting, did “How to Conduct Investigative Reporting on Public Health, SSB Tax” and Simon Kolawole, Publisher of The Cable, “How to Excite Your Editor with Public Health and SSB Tax Stories”.
The benefitting journalists cut across print, broadcast, multimedia and specialised sectors/beats from the main stream and new media houses in the country.
Source: Vanguard News
