By Chioma Obinna

As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark World Health Day 2026 on Tuesday, the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa has warned over what it described as “chronic underfunding and policy failures“ crippling the nation’s health sector.

In a message to commemorate the global event, CAPPA urged governments at all levels to move beyond rhetoric and urgently fix systemic weaknesses that continue to undermine healthcare delivery and worsen the country’s disease burden.

The group lamented Nigeria’s consistent failure to meet the 15 per cent health budget benchmark agreed under the Abuja Declaration, noting that even approved funds are often not fully released.

CAPPA highlighted glaring discrepancies in capital budget releases.
It noted that in 2025, only N36 million was reportedly released out of the N218 billion allocated to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, while in 2024, just N26.552 billion was disbursed from N233.656 billion earmarked for capital projects.

Speaking, the CAPPA Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi said: “This longstanding gap between budget promises and actual releases has weakened the health system and is short-changing Nigerians.”
According to him, the impact is evident in limited access to essential medicines, overstretched facilities, and a worsening shortage of health workers driven partly by the “Japa” migration trend.

He added, “It shows up in high out-of-pocket costs and a growing burden of non-communicable diseases driven by unhealthy food environments.”

CAPPA raised alarm that non-communicable diseases (NCDs)—including hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and heart-related conditionsnow account for about 29 per cent of annual deaths in Nigeria, placing immense pressure on families and the healthcare system.

Referencing the theme of this year’s World Health Day, “Together for health: Stand with science,” the organisation called for urgent adoption of evidence-based policies to reverse the trend.

Among its key recommendations is a significant increase in the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) tax. While welcoming moves by the National Assembly to review the current N10 per litre levy, CAPPA argued that the rate remains too low to drive meaningful behavioural change.

“We maintain that the current SSB tax is too low to significantly reduce consumption,” Oluwafemi said. “We are calling for an increase to at least 50 per cent of the retail price, in line with World Health Organization recommendations.”

He added that stronger fiscal policies could both reduce unhealthy consumption and generate critical revenue for health financing.

Beyond taxation, CAPPA called for complementary measures, including mandatory sodium reduction targets, front-of-pack labelling on processed foods, and tighter restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy products—especially to children.

“These measures are critical to tackling what is now a silent epidemic of diet-related diseases,” the group stated. “Fiscal and regulatory policies that promote healthy diets remain among the most cost-effective tools available to governments.”

The organisation also drew attention to the rising burden of tobacco-related illnesses and the growing use of emerging nicotine products. It described the N13 million allocation to the Tobacco Control Fund as grossly inadequate, urging an increase to at least N300 million.

“Tobacco use remains one of the leading causes of preventable deaths worldwide, including in Nigeria,” Oluwafemi said. “Effective implementation of the National Tobacco Control Act requires far greater investment than what is currently provided.”

CAPPA therefore called on governments and policymakers to scale up health sector funding, ensure full and timely release of budgeted allocations, fast-track healthy food policies, and strengthen accountability mechanisms.

“Prevention must become central to Nigeria’s health strategy,” Oluwafemi stressed. “That means backing science with action through adequate funding and strong policies that protect public health.”