The Senate has advanced a bill seeking to earmark excise duties collected from non-alcoholic, carbonated, and sweetened beverages for health-related programmes and infrastructure across the country.
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The sponsor of the bill, Senator Ipalibo Harry-Banigo (Rivers West), explained that the amendment was not merely fiscal in nature but a public health investment to ensure that existing excise revenues were redirected toward improving healthcare delivery and promoting healthy living among Nigerians.
“This bill does not seek to introduce new tax rates,” she clarified.
“It is about putting existing revenues to better use in ways that directly improve the health and productivity of Nigerians.
“By earmarking excise proceeds for health, we can transform fiscal policy into a tool for disease prevention and human capital development,” she added.
According to Banigo, who is also a former deputy governor of Rivers State, the bill has two primary objectives.
Preventive Health
These, she said, included strengthening public health financing by allocating part of the excise duty from sugar-sweetened beverages to preventive health programmes and primary healthcare infrastructure.
It also aims at sustaining national efforts in tackling the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases, conditions largely linked to poor dietary habits and excessive sugar consumption.
She further noted that the NCDs now account for over 30 per cent of annual deaths in Nigeria, stressing that the proposed amendment would support nutrition and wellness education, facilitate early disease screening and improve national health security.
However, the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, raised concerns about the need for such legislation, suggesting that the executive arm could implement the proposal through policy adjustments rather than a new law.
Source: Channels TV
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