GLOBAL LENS with Dr. Waheed Ogunjobi
Decoding the world, one country at a time — for Nigeria’s progress
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Not many people are aware that Japan harbours the highest number of oldest people in the world. According to latest statistics, Japan leads the world with 99,763 people aged 100+ as of Sept 2024. That’s 1 in every 1,243 Japanese. 88% are women. Oldest is Shigeko Kagawa, 114, a retired doctor who still reads newspapers daily. In 1963 they had only 153 centenarians. Today, Nearly 100,000. That’s system, not luck. A curious mind should ask between 1963 and now, what changed, what's the magic wand?
WHO’S NEXT? AMERICA TAKES SILVER
The United States follows Japan with about 64,000 centenarians. After that comes China with 39,000, then India with 29,000. But Japan’s lead is massive — almost double America’s number.
NIGERIA: THE 54-YEAR REALITY.
Nigeria’s life expectancy is 54.6 years in 2024. Men: 54.3. Women: 54.9. That’s 19 years below the global average of 73.3. We have 220 million people, but no official count of centenarians. Our older population was 9 million in 2016, heading to 26 million by 2050. Malaria, HIV, TB, and “I’m not sick na” still cut life short. And, with the high spate of kidnapping, merciless killing, gruesome murder owing to non payment of ransome taking more Nigerians lives people are dying at unripe age including children and middle level adults.
The bottom line is that Japan counts 100-year-olds by the thousands. Nigeria counts 54 years as average. One built longevity by default. The other still fights to survive..
WHAT IS THE SECRET TO JAPAN'S LONGEVITY?
The secret to Japan’s 120,000 centenarians isn’t one thing. It’s a mix of lifestyle, diet, healthcare, and culture. Japan didn’t get there by accident. And Nigeria doesn’t have to get there by accident either.
What Japan Does
Health Eating Habit and Lifestyle.
First, they practice Hara Hachi Bu they stop eating at 80% full. Their plates are filled with fish, vegetables, seaweed, tofu, rice, and fermented foods like miso and natto. Red meat is rare. Green tea is daily. The science is simple: low calorie intake means less oxidative stress, omega-3s from fish protect the heart, and fermented foods build gut health and immunity.
Exercise as a Compulsive Routine
Second, they move daily without thinking about it. They walk and bike everywhere because public transport forces it. Every morning, parks fill with people doing Radio Taiso a short group exercise. Even at 90, many still garden and clean their own homes. Consistent, low-intensity movement keeps their joints, hearts, and brains active. It beats random gym bursts.
KEEPING STRONG SOCIAL BONDS.
Third, they keep strong social bonds. Ikigai gives them a reason to wake up. In Okinawa, they form Moai lifelong friend groups who support each other financially and emotionally. Elders live with or near family, and they are respected, not isolated. Because loneliness kills. Social connection alone can cut dementia risk by half.
PREVENTIVE HEALTHCARE STRATEGY
Fourth, they take preventive healthcare seriously. From age 40, annual health checks are mandatory. There’s a clinic in every neighborhood, and doctors focus on prevention, not just treatment. That’s how Japan caught hypertension and diabetes early, and why their obesity rate sits at just 4.5%, the lowest in the OECD.
LiViNG WITH PURPOSE.
Fifth, they live with purpose and control stress. Ikigai shows up again - gardening, volunteering, crafts, or part-time work well into their 80s. They also practice shinrin-yoku or “forest bathing,” to de-stress. Purpose lowers cortisol. And chronic stress causes inflammation, which ages you fast.
HYGIENIC LIVING
Sixth, they live in a clean environment. The air and water are clean, and their cities are walkable. Compared to many megacities, pollution is low. That means less lung and heart disease over an 80-year span.
FOOD PORTION CONTROL
Seventh, they control portions. Small bowls, many dishes. They eat slowly with chopsticks. There’s no “super-size” culture. Eating slow lets the brain register fullness. So obesity stays rare.
How a Nigerian Can Adapt This: The Naija Longevity Playbook
You can’t import Japan, but you can import the principles.
Start with food. Hara Hachi Bu in Nigeria means “stop at satisfaction, not stuffed.” Eat from a side plate, not a big bowl of eba. Pause mid-meal. Choose fish over red meat, more Titus, mackerel, and catfish pepper soup.
Reduce daily cow meat and kpomo. Aim for fish three times a week. Lean into our own fermented foods: ogiri, iru, kunu, zobo, fura, ugba, and ukwa give the same gut benefits as miso and natto.
Make vegetables half your plate at every meal — ugu, ewedu, bitterleaf, okra, garden egg. And swap sugary drinks for unsweetened zobo, moringa tea, or lemongrass tea.
Then move with intention. Park farther away. Take the stairs. Trek to your bus stop. Aim for 8,000 steps a day — market trips count. Start a “Radio Taiso Naija” with neighbors: ten minutes of stretching before work. Churches and mosques can lead it. And reject the “retire to chair” mindset. Keep farming, trading, teaching, or mentoring after 60. Idleness ages you faster than work.
Build your social and purpose anchors. Create your own Moai — four or five close friends you gist with weekly, who help each other. It reduces stress and loneliness. Find your Ikigai. What makes you get up? Grandkids, church service, farming, writing? Purpose beats a pension alone. And respect your elders. Integrate old parents into family life. Their wisdom is your anti-dementia drug.
Take healthcare into your hands. Do an annual check-up, even at a general hospital — blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol once a year from age 35.
L Prevention is cheaper than cure. Manage BP and sugar early. Hypertension is Nigeria’s silent killer, so cut salt in soups and monitor it. And sleep. Japan values rest. Many Nigerians survive on four to five hours. Aim for seven. The brain cleans itself during sleep.
The Big Mindset Shift
Japan’s secret is “longevity by default.” Their cities, food, and culture make healthy choices easy. Nigeria’s challenge is “longevity by intention.” You’ll need to be deliberate because jollof, suya, okada stress, and economic pressure push the other way.
So start with three things this week. One: the 80% rule. Leave two morsels on your plate today. Two: the walk call. Pace while on the phone and add 2,000 steps daily. Three: one Ikigai task. Teach a child, tend a plant, call an old friend.
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