Nigeria is facing a growing kidney disease burden, with an estimated 9,000 new cases of end-stage kidney failure reportedly emerging every month, Consultant Neurosurgeon and Chief Executive Officer of Wellington Neurology and Neurosurgery Hospital, Abuja, Dr Charles Ugwuanyi, has warned.
The development, according to health experts, underscores the urgent need for stronger preventive healthcare, early diagnosis and improved access to specialised treatment.
Similarly, Vice Chancellor of the University of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Abeokuta, Prof Fatiu Arogundade, said about 25.4 million adult Nigerians could be living with chronic kidney disease.
Ugwuanyi spoke on Tuesday in Abuja while addressing journalists as part of activities marking the 15th anniversary of Wellington Neurology and Neurosurgery Hospital.
He said the reported monthly increase in end-stage kidney failure was alarming and called for greater public awareness and practical interventions to address the factors driving the disease.
“It is assuming an epidemic pattern, and the question is, why is it so? The solution is not in making noise on social media. It is to find out what the issues are and how you can help,” he said.
Ugwuanyi identified hypertension, diabetes, excessive alcohol consumption and indiscriminate use of medications as major risk factors for kidney disease.
He stressed that Nigeria’s response to the growing burden must move beyond social media campaigns and sensational discussions to measures that promote prevention, support patients and improve access to specialist care.
The neurosurgeon also expressed concern over the reluctance of many Nigerians, including young adults, to undergo routine medical examinations because they feel healthy or believe serious illnesses cannot affect them.
He urged Nigerians to make regular blood pressure and blood sugar checks part of their healthcare routine, noting that early detection could help manage underlying conditions before they cause irreversible kidney damage.
Arogundade disclosed the estimated 25.4 million figure while delivering the 430th Inaugural Lecture of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, titled, ‘The Burden, Barriers, Bottlenecks and Breakthroughs in the Management of Kidney Disease in Nigeria: A Journey from the Grassroots to the Frontiers.’
Drawing on more than three decades of clinical practice and research, Arogundade described kidney disease as an epidemic and a major public health challenge requiring a coordinated national response.
He said Nigeria did not yet have a single national registry capable of establishing the definitive prevalence of chronic kidney disease.
However, he cited a peer-reviewed Nigerian study involving 14,250 participants, which reported a pooled CKD prevalence of 20.4 per cent.
According to him, applying the prevalence rate to Nigeria’s adult population suggests that about 25.4 million Nigerians may be living with overt or covert chronic kidney disease.
He added that approximately 127,000 Nigerians could have advanced CKD or end-stage renal disease, highlighting the scale of the challenge confronting the country’s healthcare system.
The experts consequently called for greater investment in preventive healthcare, routine screening, early diagnosis and affordable renal care to reduce the number of Nigerians progressing to advanced kidney disease.