CAPPA sounds alarm on food, tobacco as cancer burden rises in Nigeria

5 February 2026 | Health News

On World Cancer Day, themed “United by Unique,” Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has renewed its call for urgent action to tackle the growing cancer burden in Nigeria, warning that the country’s broken food system is increasingly fuelling the crisis.

In a statement to mark the day, CAPPA said cancer is no longer a distant threat but a national public health emergency, with over 72,000 cancer-related deaths annually and more than 120,000 new cases recorded each year, citing figures from the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment.

While acknowledging the role of genetic and environmental factors, the organisation stressed that mounting evidence links the rising incidence of colorectal, breast and prostate cancers to what Nigerians eat and how food is produced and marketed.

CAPPA urged federal and state governments to take proactive, prevention-focused measures by fixing structural flaws in the food system that are driving cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

According to the group, these flaws include the unchecked marketing and consumption of ultra-processed foods, weak regulation of tobacco and emerging nicotine products, and excessive intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and salt.

The organisation called for stronger healthy food policies, including:

• stricter regulation of tobacco and nicotine products;

• increased funding for tobacco control;

• a national guideline to reduce salt consumption, with mandatory salt targets for processed foods;

• a review of the SSB tax from ₦10 per litre to 50% of the final retail price of sugary drinks;

• restrictions on marketing unhealthy foods to children; and

• clear nutrition standards for schools, hospitals and public institutions.

Highlighting tobacco as one of the most preventable causes of cancer, CAPPA also demanded full enforcement of the National Tobacco Control Act, inclusion of new nicotine products in advertising bans, higher excise taxes adjusted for inflation, and tougher action against illicit tobacco trade.

The group welcomed the federal government’s plan to earmark pro-health taxes for cancer prevention and care, noting that this could significantly reduce out-of-pocket healthcare costs for Nigerians.

CAPPA further warned that Nigeria’s health system is under severe strain, with only about 40,000 doctors serving a population of over 200 million, according to media reports.

“Nigeria cannot treat its way out of the cancer crisis,” the organisation said. “Prevention-focused policies—especially those targeting tobacco, food and alcohol—offer the most cost-effective gains. Combined with early detection, adequate health financing and accountability, they can save thousands of lives every year.”

The organisation urged governments at all levels to make cancer control a core development priority, insisting that decisive action now could avert a far deeper health catastrophe.