NB Plc, FRSC Begin 'Don't Drink & Drive Campaign'

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in conjunction with the Nigerian Breweries Plc is  set to kick off the 2010 Don’t Drink and Drive campaign.

At a media briefing to flag off this year’s campaign, the Corps Public Education Officer,  FRSC, Corps Commander Samuel Obayemi, noted that the Corps recognises the importance of  public education campaigns to change the psyche of the average human being, hence the need  for the sustained collaborative campaign between FRSC and NB Plc geared towards promoting  responsible drinking among drivers and other road users, as a way of reducing  alcohol-related road crashes.

He said the 2009 edition of the campaign, recorded some significant success and attitudinal  change in the average road user in Nigeria. “We believe that to a large extent, we were able  to pass across the message of responsible drinking as it relates to road safety. The  workshops and road shows that were organised in six major cities spread across the  geo-political zones of the country attracted large turnout of stakeholders. And we have  cause to believe that the message of safety was truly imbibed,” adding that the FRSC would  always create room for improvement.

On the part of the Nigerian Breweries Plc, the sponsor of the campaign, the Corporate  Affairs Adviser to the company, Mr. Yusuf Ageni, said it was observed that the issue of  alcohol abuse by drivers, especially commercial motorists, was one major concern in road  safety.

“When such drivers and their conductors for various reasons help themselves to unbranded  alcoholic products, which go by all sorts of names, there is the tendency to blame beer  producers and marketers. He pointed out that it was to discourage such habits and reduce  alcohol induced accidents that beverage producers launched the “drink responsibly” campaign  some years back.

He explained that the management of Nigerian Breweries, in furtherance to this, therefore,  decided to collaborate with FRSC, the agency of government charged with the responsibility  to improve safety on Nigerian roads, as a demonstration of the company’s genuine commitment  to Corporate Social Responsibility. The partnership, he noted, was also borne out of the  belief that the company could not leave the FRSC alone in its onerous task of ensuring  safety of life and property on the highways.