…urges salt intake reduction
Abuja residents and the wider public have been urged to drastically reduce salt consumption as Nigeria faces a surge in hypertension, cardiovascular disease and kidney failure linked to excessive sodium intake.
The Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI), working with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and other stakeholders, gave the advice on Saturday during the Lugbe leg of its public sensitisation campaign against excessive consumption of salt.
The initiative aims to prevent deaths, ease pressure on the health system and safeguard family and national economic productivity.
The Head of Programmes at CCSI, Oluseyi Akintola, said the awareness effort targets everyday dietary habits, especially among young people, because of the implications of excessive sodium consumption.
Explaining why the campaign becomes necessary, Akintola stressed that most Nigerians consume far beyond the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended daily limit of five milligrams.
“We just put so much salt that it may cause, later in life, problems for us,” he said
He described hypertension as a growing epidemic, saying, “We now have an epidemic of non-communicable disease, especially hypertension, which is directly traceable to salt intake.”
Akintola said salt preference is an acquired habit that can be changed when people are properly informed,
“That’s why CCSI is upbeat about this campaign to the grassroots”, he added, explaining that while sodium reduction has been discussed previously, the CCSI campaign represents the first national communication-led behavioural change effort.
“With consistent messaging, we believe the message will stick and get to a point where people will now say, oh, I’ve heard this somewhere… I should mind how much salt I consume every day,” he added.
He added that CCSI works closely with regulators, and that steps toward mandatory front-of-pack labelling for sodium content on packaged foods are advancing.
One of the medical experts on the team, Dr. Abbah Innocent Ochigbo of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, warned that salt-related illnesses are now showing up in younger Nigerians.
“Before now, elevated blood pressure… and other cardiovascular diseases were very rare among young people, but we are beginning to see a rising trend,” he said.
He listed kidney failure, heart failure and chronic kidney disease among people under 40, noting that fast foods, excessive snacks and eating out are major contributors.
Warning against extra salt at the table, he said, “It’s very dangerous. You are already inviting different forms of cardiovascular diseases.
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“Excess salt weakens bones, causes arthritis and osteoporosis, and compromises kidney function. Anywhere there is salt, it attracts water, increasing fluid retention and blood pressure, which over time puts harmful stress on the kidneys.”
Ochigbo called the campaign preventive and urgent, noting “The cost of managing these diseases is far more expensive compared to when they are prevented”.
The organisation’s Media and Programme Officer, Anna White-Agbo, said the campaign will expand to Lagos and Kano next year, noting that informed communities are more likely to demand supportive government policies.
The campaign flagged off at Wuse Market on December 4, offering blood pressure checks and public education.
Later, the campaign moved to Nyanya before berthing at Lugbe Mall on Saturday, then moved into Lugbe communities, attracting large turnouts and focusing on proper label interpretation, medical guidance and on-the-spot testing.
Beneficiaries also received educational materials.
White-Agbo said sensitisation will continue into next year, with grassroots outreach especially important, noting, “Not everybody has the data or resources to be online.
“But by combining digital education with market-based interventions, CCSI is hoping to build sustained public awareness around salt reduction and healthier food choices”.
