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WHD: ‘19m People Suffer From Hepatitis In Nigeria’
As the world marks the 2020 World Hepatitis Day (WHD), the Rivers State Government says an estimated 19 million Nigerians are infected by the disease.
Making this known, yesterday in a radio broadcast in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Prof Princewill Chike, said the figure was in accordance with the National HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) 2018.
According to Chike, “Nigeria bears a huge burden of viral hepatitis with a prevalence of 8.1% for Hepatitis B, and 1.1% for Hepatitis C, translating to an estimated 19million people for Hepatitis B and C, including co-infections of both”.
Noting that both hepatitis B and C are preventable, the commissioner stated that hepatitis B vaccine provides life-long immunity, adding that the vaccine was available in both public and private health facilities in the state.
“While hepatitis B is treatable, there is a cure for hepatitis C”, he said.
Chike, therefore, urged Rivers people to get tested in order to determine their status, saying that “early testing means early and timely treatment can be commenced to prevent complication and save lives”.
He stated further that the Rivers State Government has designated the Rivers State Teaching Hospital as the epicentre for the testing and treatment for hepatitis.
The commissioner further explained that, “the technical working group is also meeting to ramp up efforts towards the elimination of viral hepatitis”.
The state health boss also urged Rivers people to be proactive in the prevention of hepatitis in the state by raising awareness and support in prevention, testing and treatment services.
The WHD is marked yearly on July 28 to raise awareness on the global burden of viral hepatitis towards enhancing its elimination.
Similarly, the Bayelsa State Government, yesterday, marked the year 2020 edition of the World Hepatitis Day with a charge on residents of the state to be vigilant, and support the government’s efforts to eliminate the disease in the state.
Addressing newsmen at a press conference held as part of enlightenment campaign on the dangers of the viral disease in Yenagoa, the state capital, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Inodu Apoku, stressed the need for medical checkups by intending couples and partners to ascertain their hepatitis status before and after marriage to avoid transmission to children during delivery.
Apoku lauded the state Governor, Senator Douye Diri, on his support and timely intervention on issues concerning the health and wellbeing of Bayelsans since his assumption of office.
He said that though not much attention has been given to hepatitis by the people, but added that available medical statistics show that about 1.4 million lives were lost to the disease annually.
The permanent secretary, who also doubles as the deputy chairman of the state’s Covid-19 Task Force, hinted that there were five types of the disease, including Hepatitis A, B, C, D and E.
He regretted that of all, Hepatitis B and C were deadliest, affecting over 350 million people globally.
He reiterated government’s commitment towards ensuring that Bayelsans were enlightened continuously on the importance of periodic medical checks, emphasising that Hepatitis B and C were 10 times more prevalent and dangerous than HIV/AIDS.
According to Apoku, Nigeria has one of the highest burden of viral Hepatitis in the world with 11 per cent prevalence of Hepatitis B and 22 per cent prevalence of Hepatitis C, hence the need for the creation of awareness on the disease.
“Nine in every 10 persons infected with viral hepatitis are not aware of their status, and so, the World Hepatitis Day celebration creates an opportunity to educate the general population about the burden of these infections with the aim of enlightening people on how to combat viral hepatitis and empower them to take action to prevent these infections”, he said.
“The World Hepatitis Day is commemorated globally on the 28th day of July each year to create awareness on viral hepatitis and to recommit as well as mobilize the global community on the path of elimination of viral hepatitis by the year 2030”, he added.
“The World Health Organisation (WHO) has tagged this year’s activities: Hepatitis Free Future (Hepfreefuture) with a strong focus on preventing Hepatitis B (HBV), among mothers, and new born through safe and effective vaccination”, Apoku said.
The theme for this year is: “Find The Missing Millions”.
Meanwhile, as Nigeria joined the rest of the world to commemorate the World Hepatitis Day, yesterday, Federal Government said it’s working on modalities that would reduce chronic hepatitis B virus infection to less than 2 percent in children below five years.
The government also disclosed that it has made significant progress in the area of Hepatitis B birth dose vaccination through domestic contribution to financing vaccination and expand access to services.
The Minister of health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, in a statement, yesterday, to mark the 2020 World Hepatitis Day, said the government has launched the roadmap to set up a state viral hepatitis programme, that would, expectedly, facilitate the realization of the dream.
He said that the essence of the global commemorative day was to raise awareness about the hepatitis, and also stress the need for the people to be cautious to avoid getting infected with the deadly disease.
Ehanire confirmed that Nigeria is endemic for both viral Hepatitis B and C, recalling that, in 2018, Nigeria conducted a National AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS), which indicated a prevalence of 8.1 per cent for Hepatitis B (HBV) and 1.1 percent for Hepatitis C (HCV).
The minister added that the NAIIS survey estimated that about 20 million people are chronically infected, and larger percentage of them are unaware of their status because they have not tested.
Ehanire said that Nigeria recognizes the importance of vaccination as a critical intervention to eliminate HBV infection by 2030, hence the nation was one of the first African countries to introduce a birth dose of HBV vaccine in 2004.
The minister added: “Furthermore, we established the National Viral Hepatitis Control programme in 2013, to coordinate all national efforts and through this, developed national documents, including policies, a strategic plan, guidelines, training materials and a treatment centre directory, which are in use.”
Sogbeba Dokubo & Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, had lauded the courage and commitment of troops of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in North East Nigeria.
Abubakar gave the commendation during a morale-boosting visit to the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI in Maiduguri, Borno.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, yesterday, in Abuja.
The CAS said their sacrifices were etched in the history of the nation, and in the hearts of millions of Nigerians who sleep safer because of the troops’ vigilance.
He emphasised that their bravery and resilience in the face of adversity have not gone unnoticed, saying his visit underscored the vital role airpower plays in neutralising threats and protecting communities.
Abubakar pledged continued investment in cutting-edge technology to empower frontline units.
According to him, the NAF remains steadfast in its mission, guided by leadership, strengthened by unity, and driven by the selfless service of its personnel.
The visit comes at a critical moment, reinforcing the importance of public support for military operations and spotlighting the human element at the heart of national defence.
Nigeria’s soft drinks and beverage market continues to show strong growth potential, making it the leading consumer of soft drinks in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association.
A statement by the VDMA disclosed during a press conference held in Lagos ahead of drinktec 2025, that Nigeria consumed over 53 billion litres of soft drinks in 2024, placing it well ahead of other African countries such as Ghana and South Africa.
Despite challenges such as inflation and a weakening naira, Nigeria’s growing population, rising urbanisation, and expanding middle class are key factors driving demand in the beverage sector.
Bottled water led the segment with 48.7 billion litres sold in 2024, a figure projected to rise by 27% to 62 billion litres by 2028.
Carbonated soft drinks followed with 3.4 billion litres, expected to reach 4.4 billion litres by 2028, while energy drinks are forecasted to grow by 30% over the same period. Juices, though relatively small, are also on an upward trajectory.
“The Nigerian beverage market is expanding quickly due to increasing accessibility and affordability,” VDMA stated, citing data from Euromonitor International.
Set to take place in Munich from 15 to 19 September 2025, drinktec is the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry.
VDMA, a key exhibitor and technical partner for the event, revealed that Nigerian participation is expected to be strong, especially as the country anticipates economic recovery.
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has condemned the recent ban placed on a song by Nigerian musician, Eedris Abdulkareem, describing the development as a return to the culture of censorship and a threat to the right to free expression.
Abdulkareem had waxed a song titled “Tell Your Papa” which criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement issued from New York University, Abu Dhabi, yesterday, Soyinka criticised the action and its wider implications, saying it echoed past attempts to stifle artistic and socio-political commentary in Nigeria.
“Courtesy of an artist operating in a different genre – the cartoon – who sent me his recent graphic comment on the event, I learnt recently of a return to the culture of censorship with the banning of the product of a music artist, Eedris Abdulkareem,” Soyinka said in the piece posted on PM news.
He expressed irony in suggesting that the ban did not go far enough, stating, “It is not only the allegedly offensive record that should be banned – the musician himself should be proscribed. Next, PMAN, or whatever musical association of which Abdulkareem is member, should also go under the hammer.”
Soyinka noted that he had not listened to the banned song but stressed that the issue transcends content and concerns a fundamental democratic principle.
“It cannot be flouted. That, surely is basic. This is why I feel that we should look on the bright side of any picture and thus recommend the Aleshinloye cartoon – and others in allied vein – as an easy-to-apprehend, easy-to-digest summation of the wisdom of attempting to stifle unpalatable works of art or socio-political commentary,” he said.
He also pointed out the irony that censorship often benefits the targeted artist.
The ban is a boost to the artist’s nest egg, thanks to free governmental promotion. Mr. Abdulkareem must be currently warbling his merry way all the way to the bank. I envy him,” he added.
The literary icon warned that such censorship was not only counterproductive but also dangerous to democratic development.
“We have been through this before, over and over again, ad nauseum. We know where it all ends. It is boring, time-wasting, diversionary but most essential of all, subversive of all seizures of the fundamental right of free expression,” Soyinka said.
He warned that the ban creates “a permissive atmosphere of trickle-down power,” where state authorities feel emboldened to clamp down on dissent.
Soyinka’s statement also touched on broader issues of impunity and mob violence in Nigeria, lamenting the recent lynching of 19 youths in Edo State.
“My heart goes out to friends, colleagues and families of victims and traumatised survivors of this senseless slaughter. Our thirst for justice must remain unslaked,” he said.
Referencing the 2022 killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, Soyinka criticised the culture of impunity, saying, “Identified killers were set free to gloat, and paste their photos on the Social Media… in full daylight glare, in the presence of both citizen voyeurs and security forces.”
He called for accountability, warning that “as long as the culture of impunity is given the sheerest strain of legitimacy in any given cause, such gruesome assaults on our common humanity will continue to prevail.”
Soyinka concluded by urging the relevant regulatory body to reverse what he described as a “petulant irrationality,” warning that any government that only tolerates praise-singers “has already commenced a downhill slide into the abyss.”
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