No fewer than 11 million people are currently living with diabetes in Nigeria, with many more cases remaining undiagnosed, according to a medical expert.
Zubairu Iliyasu, a specialist at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano State, revealed this while delivering the keynote address at the 14th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Association of Clinical Endocrinologists of Nigeria (ACEN) held Thursday in Kano.
The conference, themed “Endocrinology and Public Health”, gathered medical experts from across Nigeria to discuss the growing burden of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Nigeria and across Africa.
Iliyasu emphasised the urgent need for widespread public sensitisation on adopting healthier lifestyles to combat the rising threat of diabetes and obesity.
Also speaking at the event, the Chairman of the occasion, Musa Borodo, lamented the high cost of healthcare delivery in Nigeria and stressed the need for proactive strategies to reduce the burden of illnesses like diabetes and obesity.
According to Borodo, the conference would help fine-tune efforts towards public enlightenment and disease prevention.
In his address, ACEN President, Williams Balogun, called on the government and other stakeholders to invest more resources into tackling NCDs. He reaffirmed the association’s commitment to developing effective strategies to address the rising health challenges facing the country.
“This meeting will unveil a variety of ideas and research aimed at ensuring that the challenges of diabetes and obesity are thoroughly addressed,” Balogun said.
In his remarks, the Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf — represented by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran — described the conference as timely.
He pledged the state government’s readiness to partner with medical associations like ACEN in the fight against diabetes, obesity, and other public health challenges, urging participants to develop actionable resolutions to curb the alarming rise in diabetes cases nationwide.
