Nigerians have a penchant for the finer things in life. Some call it ‘premium enjoyment’, and for some persons, this includes enjoying sweet drinks and sugar-infused drinks.
However, this indulgence could come at a significant health cost, hence, the call for increased taxation on sugar-sweetened beverages, SSBs, in Nigeria.
An advocate for this cause, Abayomi Sarumi, who was a guest on Nigeria Info’s Hard Facts, believes that ‘premium enjoyment’ should be reserved for experiences that enhance well-being and productivity, rather than those that compromise health. He argues that the excessive consumption of added sugars—prevalent in many popular beverages—does more harm than good.
“In Nigeria, we call them soft drinks, but the impacts that they have on our health are nowhere near soft. They are very hard and they are lifelong impact,” he said.
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