In this report, Odimegwu Onwumere writes that Nigerians hardly take their health serious and the authorities have not deepened knowledge in helping the citizens with prevention and treatment sensitizations related to the NCDs
She is a 46-year-old trader from Kaduna. She didn’t pay attention to her health till there was a general screening for residents organized by the Nigeria Governors Forum in partnership with the World Health Organization.
She was okay before the screening but the result was a rude shock to her – hypertension and diabetes. The lady who wouldn’t want her name in print was among the many people who were found to have some health challenges in an exercise that was conducted from 28 October to 3 November 2024, in most states in the north.
A Professor of Medicine at the University of Ilorin, Ayodele Babatunde Omotoso, cried out recently while delivering the University’s 272nd Inaugural Lecture, that non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung diseases, have been contributing to a considerable load of morbidity and mortality.
As if that was not enough, when another professor in a different foray was making a speech in commemoration of this year’s World Hypertension Day (WHD), on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, he wore a face of concern about the occurrence of hypertension and by extension, diabetes, in Nigeria.
His long face was pointed to Nigerians on why they were not only lackadaisical over these NCDs, but also, do not thrive in awareness. And this is low.
The Nigerian Hypertension Society (NHS), President, Simeon Isezuo wasn’t happy that a minute proportion of 10 percent who have hypertension can boast of meeting up with the treatment. He also reprimanded that 2.5 per cent of Nigerians with hypertension can attain control of their blood burden from the large proportion.
“Awareness on hypertension in Nigeria is very low leading millions of people to health challenges such as stroke, kidney disease, and heart failure,” he said.
While the WHD is observed annually on 17 May, and the WHO sermonizing that adult aged 30–79 years globally, with two-thirds living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)are among the 1.28 billion that hypertension affect, Isezuo called up the people’s spirit to note that hypertension ratio has risen from 594 million in 1975 to 1.13 billion in 2015, given the upsurging risk factors in the LMIC, of which Nigeria is among. There is apprehension!
According to Peace Oregbesan, a public health analyst, “Nearly 30% of all deaths in Nigeria are due to NCD. These diseases have caught the attention of the global health community because they are responsiblefor about 41 million deaths a year, equivalent to 71% of all deaths globally.
“Of the fatalities caused by NCDs, 17.9 million are attributable to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), 9.3 million to cancer, 4.1 million to respiratory diseases, 1.5 million to diabetes, and the remaining 8.2 million to other NCDs.”
Dr. Usman Muhammad Ibrahim who is with Rasheed Shekoni Federal Teaching Hospital, Dutse, lamented over what he described as “a growing number of hospital deaths and complications from long-standing illnesses, with hypertension and diabetes consistently identified as leading risk factors.”
Notably, there was uneasiness from medical practitioners such as Isezuo haranguing about how unaware the citizens were over their health statuses. There were indications that these NCDs can’t be cured with any scientifically proven medications but can be managed if detected earlier.
A Family Physician, who also doubles as the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Jide Onyekwelu was among the professionals whose clarion call was that no person can detect his or her health conditions except the person sees a doctor, not minding the money involved.
While some citizens might think that there is a particular age meant for falling ill, he said that there was need for people above 30 to often visit the hospital for medical checks, but especially those with a family history of hypertensionand diabetes.
According to him, such check can be less than a dollar equivalent and it should be done every six months. If the indication on the medical gage shows that the person has 140/90, then there is need for proper consultation with the doctor, who will give an expert instruction on what to do.
It was gathered that in spite of the growing number of sufferers of the diseases, over 90% of DM in Nigeria are Type 2, and the authorities might not have taken drastic actions to reduce the number, notwithstanding the many policiesto this effect such as Nigeria’s National Multi-Sectoral Action Plan (NMSAP) for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) (2019–2025), and the Health Sector Strategic Blueprint (2024–2027).
Investigations found out that as of 2020 such policies profited the hypertension and diabetes drug markets. They consolidated from “local and multinational pharmaceutical companies to herbal providers.” Some of the drug merchants turned to manufacturing their own drugs when the government could not provide for drug shortages.
Thegovernment encouraged “top players in the market that include Eli Lilly and Company, Pfizer Inc. Bayer, Novartis, Merck & Co. Inc, Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson and Merck.”
However, specialists found out that prior to post-colonial times, Nigerians never had the rate of these NCDs as they have today, given that they started eating western foods in what is dubbed “dietary transition,” unlike when people lived in the rural areas and were majorly farmers who knew nothing about mechanized agriculture but produced quality crops direct from the arable lands.
They believed that such “Western-type diet is characterized by prepackaged foods, refined grains, red meat, and high-fat dairy products that increase the risk of overweight, obesity, and reduced insulin sensitivity.” In the words of Isezuo, “hypertension, normally branded as high blood pressure, is diagnosed once a person constantly records systolic interpretations of 140 mm Hg or higher, or diastolic readings of 90 mm Hg or higher.”
Indications are that the Nigerian authority with its promise to curb the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) by 2030, may not suffice due to what punditssaw as “bureaucratic hurdles, inadequate engagement with affected communities, and a care funding gap in excess of N8.6 trillion.”
But Omotoso has this to say: “Government should fund, equip and support at least one tertiary health facility that can take care of complicated NCDs, encourage private companies to invest in health promotion activities and create workplace wellness programs that address NCDs risk factors.
“Government should partner with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to implement community-based interventions and support groups for individuals affected by NCDs. They should also collaborate with international organizations to share knowledge, resources and best practices for NCDs prevention and control.”
· Onwumere is Chairman, Advocacy Network On Religious And Cultural Co-existence, ANORACC. He writes from Rivers State.
