Leading manufacturer and Nigeria’s only total beverage
alcohol (TBA) company, Guinness Nigeria Plc, has revved up its commitment to
driving responsible drinking behaviour among Nigerian consumers by partnering
with the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, to deliver its innovative and
trailblazing DRINKiQ training sessions to officials and corps members in a bid
to take the responsible drinking message to every nook and cranny of the
country.
At the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between
Guinness Nigeria and the NYSC which took place at the Gowon House, National
Directorate Headquarters, NYSC in Abuja, on Friday, November 4, the Director
General, NYSC, Brigadier General Sule Kazaure, who was represented by Director,
Community Development Service and Special Projects, Mrs. Rhoda Kaka Kwaki,
appreciated the laudable hand of fellowship extended by Guinness Nigeria to
help create a society where responsible drinking becomes engrained in the
consciousness of many young adults and society at large. Commending Guinness
Nigeria for the intervention, she described the partnership as a clear
demonstration of the company’s positive disposition towards the welfare and
development of Nigerians, particularly the youth.
"This DRINKiQ campaign, a form of giving back to the society
to be implemented by the Community Development Service and Special Projects is
bound to impact positively on the entire society and it is my sincere hope that
what we have sown today will blossom into enduring and sustainable entity for
the benefit of our communities and environs," Kwaki said.
The Managing Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Peter
Ndegwa who was represented by the company’s Corporate Relations Director, Mr.
Sesan Sobowale, described the occasion as historic one and a momentous stride
in the right direction with a view to curbing the irresponsible use of alcohol
in society.
"We are committed to creating awareness about responsible
drinking and promoting the enjoyment of alcohol and our brands as part of a
healthy balanced lifestyle. We also believe that efforts to reduce the misuse
of alcohol are most effective when governments, society, individuals, families
as well as industry work together. Therefore, our approach is built around
providing consumers with information promoting rigorous company and industry
standards for responsible marketing, supporting effective programmes and
partnerships as the one that we are signing today to promote alcohol education
and to tackle misuse and advocating effective evidence-based policy," Sobowale
enthused.
Other dignitaries present at the occasion include
Sustainable Development/ Alcohol in Society, AiS Manager, Guinness Nigeria,
Osita Abana; Director, Legal Service, NYSC Directorate NHQ, Barrister Tijani
Ibrahim; Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Chief Anthony Ani;,
Director, Press and Public Relations, Mrs Bose Aderibigbe; Director, Corp
Welfare and Inspectorate, Mrs Victoria Obi Okaku; Director, Certfication, Alh
Udu Taura; and Director, Corps Mobilization Chief Frank Ekpenobi.
On the scope of the partnership, Sobowale explained that the
DRINKiQ programme is one of the training platforms that Guinness Nigeria, has
used to leverage its responsible drinking agenda. The training aims to raise
the public’s awareness about alcohol so that people can have a better
understanding of the drinking choices that they make, including the decision
not to drink, when to drink and how much to drink.
In view of this, the programme would start with
Train-the-Trainers, ToT programme, that will equip NYSC officials (drawn from
the 36 states of the federation) with information and knowledge about
responsible drinking. These officials will then provide trainee corps members with
practical tips, strategies and confidence they need to become champions for
responsible drinking in their communities.
It would be recalled that last year, Guinness pioneered the
use of breathalyzers by the Federal Road Safety Commission via its donation of
breathalyzers to the safety agency to enable it check the incidence of
drunk-driving on Nigerian roads during the ember months. Other initiatives
include the Age Verification Programme, sponsorship of a radio programme, DRINK
DIARIES, on Lagos Traffic radio 96.1 FM as well as advertorials and out-of-home
messaging aimed at educating the general public on the dangers of
drink-driving.
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