Nigerian health experts warn rapid urbanization, sedentary lifestyles, fried foods and sugary diets are driving a diabetes surge. Particularly sharp is the rise in Type 1 diabetes cases, while low awareness and limited screening means many young Nigerians remain undiagnosed.
“We are seeing diabetes in younger people now,” said Mary Nkem Babalola, a public health worker with the Funmilayo Florence Babalola Foundation, which combats the illness in underserved Nigerian communities.
“We need early screening, public education and access to affordable test kits and insulin,” she added.
Watrahyel Mshelia, 21, from Abuja told DW she never understood the long-term risks.
“So, at 16, when I was diagnosed, I didn’t really understand what was going on,” she said.
“The doctors and nurses explained, but they didn’t explain so much. They just told me to take my medications and I should not get injured.”
When Mshelia left home for university, she stopped taking her medication because she felt fine. A car accident four years later changed that.
“I broke my leg, and it has not healed for a year because of diabetes. I realized it is a very serious condition,” she said.
‘Epidemic levels’
Nigeria’s health authorities warn the surge is fast becoming one of the country’s most urgent public health threats.
Nigeria now has 11.4 million people living with diabetes, according to the Diabetes Association of Nigeria, one of the highest figures in sub-Saharan Africa.
That figure of diagnosed cases alone exceeds the combined population of Namibia, Botswana and Lesotho, though it remains a fraction of Nigeria’s around 220 million citizens.
The association has urged the government to declare a state of emergency on diabetes care.
“It’s now more than a crisis, it’s an epidemic, it is catastrophic,” Ejiofor Ugwu of the Diabetes Association of Nigeria told DW.
“11.4 million people represents only patients who have been diagnosed and that is less than half of the people who are living with diabetes in Nigeria,” he said. “Diabetes is killing about 30,000 to 40,000 Nigerians every year. That is not a joke.”
Global bodies have raised similar alarms. The World Health Organization projects diabetes will become the seventh leading cause of death by 2030, while the International Diabetes Federation estimates over 24 million Africans currently live with the condition.
Diabetes has flown under the radar while infectious diseases dominate Africa’s health agenda. But experts warn of deep impacts on households, health systems and economies.
What would an emergency declaration achieve?
The diabetes association said emergency status would compel the federal government to develop a national response plan and introduce targeted policies.
“We are advocating for the federal government to subsidize essential diabetes medications,” said Ugwu. “A tax waiver on imported diabetes drugs would reduce landing costs and make them more affordable.”
Currently, Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Scheme does not cover most diabetes drugs or basic consumables such as glucose meters and test strips, leaving many patients unable to manage the disease.
Awareness, affordability remain barriers
Cost remains one of the biggest barriers to diagnosis and treatment.
“Access to screenings, affordability of drugs, these make people ignore diabetes until it becomes a crisis,” said Olisa Chukwuma, DW’s Nigeria correspondent.
A pack of glucose-testing strips costs 15,000–17,000 naira (around €10). Even a single test now costs 1,000 naira (€0.60), up from 100 naira a few years ago.
The International Diabetes Federation recommends annual blood-glucose screening for adults over 40, and from 18 in families with a history of diabetes or obesity. But this remains out of reach for many Nigerians.
Why are cases rising?
Health experts have linked the diabetes surge to rapid urbanization and lifestyle shifts, including heavy consumption of processed foods and falling levels of physical activity.
“We have embraced Westernized diets. Most of our meals are unhealthy. Physical inactivity is a major risk factor,” said Ugwu.
Left unmanaged, diabetes can damage the heart, eyes, kidneys and nerves. The WHO says diabetes is affecting people at all phases of life, from childhood to old age.
Edited by: Cai Nebe
