Mathew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of the Sokoto Diocese, has welcomed proposals to raise the tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) in order to lower the prevalence of diabetes and other diseases linked to the consumption of sugary products in the nation.
When he welcomed the leadership of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) for a meeting on advocacy to debate the SSB Tax in Nigeria, he made this statement in Abuja.
“I believe that acknowledging and appreciating a program like this, as promoted by CAPPA, is the most important thing for us to do. Due to our ignorance, we are killing ourselves. It should therefore be done whatever has to be done. I believe that we should all support this cause.”
I believe that everyone ought to pay attention to what is being said about the things that are harmful to our health. It will be quite challenging for those of us who are accustomed to drinking all of these things to make a choice.
But it’s a life-or-death choice. So, whatever needs to be done to ensure the survival of our people, I believe we must all support it, Bishop Kukah added.Speaking about SSB taxation, Kukah said that while the tax increase is excellent, there should also be steps taken to stop the use of substitute fake goods.
Earlier, Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), stated that the organization worked with renowned leaders and people of opinion.
“During the last exercise, an attempt was made to increase it to N20 per litre and there was a lot of outcries because a lot of people don’t even have an understanding that this is a tax to save the lives of the Nigerian people, and that they on their own should reduce consumption of this product,” Oluwafemi said.
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