Raheem Akingbolu
The Beer Sectoral Group of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has expanded its cooperation with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) with the launch of its ‘Don’t Drink and Drive’ campaign and official presentation of breathalyzers held in Lagos.
The campaign is a joint initiative which seeks to improve on the successes recorded by individual member-companies of the Group in their respective ‘ember month’ campaigns with the FRSC.
It was designed to increase awareness and ultimately reduce incidences of drink- driving during the last few months of the year and beyond, while also seeking to enhance research by making available breath testing equipment to the FRSC as part of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between both organisations in April 2017.
In his welcome address at the campaign launch, the chairman of the BSG, Jordi Borut Bel, stated that, “the objective of the campaign is to increase awareness about the dangers of drink-driving, while enhancing the capacity of the FRSC to enforce existing laws and improving road safety within the country.
“We see this as an opportunity to expand our cooperation with the FRSC in reducing the prevalence of drink driving in Nigeria.”
He assured that “the ‘Don’t Drink and Drive’ campaign has come to stay as the Group would continue to deploy available resources to ensuring increasing support for the FRSC in line with the signed MOU to break existing culture of drink driving within the country.”
In his remarks, Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, thanked the BSG for its efforts at fulfilling its part of the MOU, while assuring that the Corp “will continue to support all private sector initiatives aimed at improving the driving culture and making our roads safer.”
The 2019 ‘Don’t Drink and Drive’ campaign will be deployed in Lagos and Rivers States as well as the Federal Capital Territory and would comprise of awareness creation via continuous park rallies, traffic law enforcement operations and breath alcohol testing. These activities would be supported by new and traditional media deployment including online campaigns, radio jingles and outdoor billboards.
