Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, civil society organisations, and several public health stakeholders have thrown their weight behind the Senate’s move to review and restructure Nigeria’s Sugar-Sweetened Beverage, SSB Tax.

They are calling for a shift from the current ₦10 per litre excise duty to a stronger percentage-based levy that will reduce excessive consumption of sugary drinks and provide sustainable funding for health services.

This position was reaffirmed during a public hearing held in Abuja on Thursday by the Senate Joint Committee on Finance, Customs, and Excise. The hearing focused on a bill proposed by Senator Ipalibo Harry Banigo seeking to replace the fixed N10 charge with a percent levy tied to retail prices and to earmark part of the revenue for health promotion and disease prevention programmes.

Representing Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Senator Adeniyi Adegbomire (SAN) described the legislation as a critical investment in Nigeria’s health system. He noted that the current charge is inadequate given rising healthcare costs and inflation.

“Clearly, the N10 per litre excise is no longer realistic in present-day Nigeria,” he said. “This bill aligns taxation policy with public health priorities and ensures part of the revenue strengthens health infrastructure and interventions.”

The Ministry of Finance signalled broad agreement with the proposed tax review, although it reminded lawmakers that the President is constitutionally empowered to vary excise rates. Nonetheless, the Senate committee insisted that the National Assembly has the authority to amend existing laws in the public interest.

Health Minister Prof. Pate warned lawmakers that Nigeria is facing a growing epidemic of noncommunicable diseases, NCDs, including diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and obesity, driven by unhealthy diets and high consumption of sugary drinks.

He argued that the current tax, introduced in 2021 as a pro-health policy, has lost effectiveness due to inflation and remains too low to discourage consumption. Pate urged the Senate to raise the levy to at least 20% of retail prices, with 40% of revenue earmarked for public health programmes.

“This will create a valuable funding stream for the health of 230 million Nigerians,” he said, citing international examples such as the Philippines, where SSB tax revenue strengthened universal health coverage.

Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), the Nigerian Cancer Society, Diabetes Society of Nigeria, and other health groups strongly endorsed the amendment.

CAPPA Executive Director Akinbode Oluwafemi made three key recommendations: raise the SSB tax to at least 50% of the retail price, with a minimum floor of 20%, earmark the revenue for public health, especially NCD prevention, and establish a national monitoring and evaluation task force to track consumption, compliance, and health impact.

“Relying on a fixed ₦10 duty that has lost its value is no longer defensible,” he said. “A percentage-based levy that reflects market prices is the only credible path forward.”

Vice President of the Diabetes Society of Nigeria, Dr. Mansur Ramalan, backed the amendment, raising alarm over Nigeria’s rising diabetes prevalence, now at about 7%. He dismissed concerns that a stronger SSB tax would reduce government revenue.

“On the contrary, revenue will increase by 200 percent,” he said.

Other supporting organisations included the National SSB Tax Coalition, Healthy Food Policy Vanguard, and the Nigerian Tobacco Control Alliance.

The public hearing concluded with a broad stakeholder consensus that strengthening the SSB tax is essential to reducing disease burden and improving the nation’s health financing.