Press Release
“Guinness donates breathalyzers to FRSC for
Ember Month Campaign”
Do not drink and drive. Indeed, if you are a member
of a group involved in some social activity that may involve drinking, nominate
a member of that group who must not drink and who will be responsible for
driving others home.
This is the kernel of an ongoing campaign on
responsible drinking being spearheaded by the duo of Guinness Nigeria and the
Federal Roads Safety Corps, FRSC.
The months, leading to the festive end of the year,
popularly referred to as "ember months" have historically recorded a
disproportionately high rate of road traffic accidents in Nigeria, making the
campaign particularly imperative at this period.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Lagos, Managing
Director/CEO, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Peter Ndegwa disclosed that this year’s
awareness campaign will see the introduction of various novel and innovative
strategies geared towards raising public awareness on the benefits of
responsible alcohol consumption.
“At Guinness Nigeria, we believe that our position
as a market leader places a significant responsibility on us to raise awareness
about the importance of consuming alcohol responsibly. We are
passionately committed to responsible drinking and enlightening the public
about the values of responsible alcohol consumption, especially during the
festive period. We are eager to create increased awareness to ensure that
Nigerians have an incident-free experience. Working in tandem with our various stakeholders
on our responsible drinking initiatives, we have found a worthy partner in the
FRSC, with whom on an annual basis we have carried out this Ember Months
campaign,” Ndegwa said.
In a passionate appeal, Ndegwa reiterated to
everyone - consumers, motorists and the general public that drinking and
driving do not mix: “When you drink, don’t drive. When you go out in a group to
have fun, designate someone to drive and that person should not drink. If you
are going out alone, arrange for taxi to take you home after you have had some
drink. Whatever you do this season, don’t drink and drive”.
Mr. Ndegwa also disclosed that Guinness Nigeria
employees have been encouraged to join FRSC Special Marshals, adding that “these
inspiring Guinness Nigeria employees are an embodiment of what the organization
and especially this partnership is all about – service for the greater good.”
Activities to mark this year’s programme include:
joint road shows to create awareness of drink-driving, radio and TV talk shows
and for the first time, random testing of motorists with breathalyzer to check
their Blood Alcohol Concentration levels.
On
his part, Corps Commander, Lagos Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety
Commission, Mr. Hyginus Omeje urged motorists to obey traffic laws, avoid
overloading and avoid driving under the influence of alcohol.
“Before
now, all we had done in terms of enforcement have been based on sobriety tests
which can’t be used to prosecute offenders successfully. However, with the kind
donation of breathalyzers by Guinness Nigeria, we would be able to prosecute
drivers successfully. And when we prosecute, one, two, five, ten drivers
successfully, you discover that the news will spread very fast and produce the
behavioural change which this awareness campaign is expected to usher in,”
Omeje noted.
Omeje
also commended Guinness Nigeria’s commitment to the Ember months awareness
campaign.
Guinness
Nigeria’s partnership with the FRSC on road safety began eleven years ago when the
United Nations declared 2004 as International Road Safety Year with the theme,
“Safe Roads”. In that year, both organizations jointly carried out the opening
event of the International Road Safety Year in Nigeria and conducted various
awareness programmes on drink-driving. Since then, the relationship has
blossomed and has translated to the yearly “Ember Months” campaigns during
which motoring members of the public are educated on the dangers of
drink-driving, especially during the last quarter of the year (Ember Months)
when celebrations, festivities and human and vehicular traffic tend to be at
their peak.
The
company also has consistently demonstrated its strong commitment to promoting
the responsible consumption of alcohol as part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle,
through its various Responsible Drinking initiatives. These include a
successful “Don’t Drink and Drive” campaign, which was run on radio and
billboards; an alcohol education platform called DRINKIQ, which the company
leverages to engage various stakeholders and an Age Verification Initiative, which will ensure that alcohol
isn’t sold to minors or persons under the age of legal purchase in a bid to
reduce the harmful effects of underage drinking.
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