Guinness Nigeria, FRSC partner on ‘Don’t drink and drive’ campaign

The need to drink responsibly and stay alive during the festive period was re-echoed at the 13th Annual ember months rally titled: “Responsible Drinking“, which took place at the Agege Motor Park in Lagos.

While delivering his speech at the event, Corps Commander, Lagos Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Hyginus Omeje, commended Guinness Nigeria Plc for sustaining this giant stride in the past thirteen years, while taking into cognisance the fact that road safety is a shared responsibility.

Omeje noted that driving under the influence of alcohol was an underlying factor in some of the road traffic crashes recorded. Furthermore, he explained that the breathalyzers Guinness Nigeria donated to the FRSC in 2015 have been used to collate baseline data on driving under the influence (DUI) within the state.

“As we officially flag off this year’s ember month’s road safety responsible drinking campaign, I charge everyone to re-direct their minds toward good road use by obeying all rules and regulations. It is our collective responsibility to eradicate or reduce the ever-increasing volume of road crashes on our roads,” he warned.

On his part, Managing Director/CEO,Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Peter Ndegwa, disclosed that the partnership with the FRSC has been a truly impactful one, making it possible to jointly deliver awareness campaigns reaching millions of Nigerians yearly.
“Through our ember month’s campaigns, we want to give our consumers the right information in order to help them make the right decisions around using alcohol as part of a balanced lifestyle. The message we deliver to consumers through our annual campaigns is consistent with our values at Guinness Nigeria. Consumers are at the heart of everything we do as an organisation and are the basis for our existence.

We are therefore interested in using education and awareness as a way to curb instances of alcohol misuse and more specifically in this case drink driving,” Ndegwa said.
He also commended the FRSC for the critical role they play in helping to reduce accidents on the nation’s highways.

Assistant Corps Marshal and the Zonal Commanding Officer, FRSC, Lagos and Ogun, Sheu Zaki, also enjoined motorists to contribute to safer a road culture by ensuring that traffic rules are obeyed at all times.
Some of the participants at the event lauded the initiative as a welcome development.More so, they are of the opinion that the campaign is timely and will go a long way in reducing accidents on the road during the festive period.

The event drew dignitaries from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency,National Union of Road Transport Workers,Vehicle Inspection Officers, National Automotive Technician Association (NATA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, Lagos Taxi Drivers Association, National Union of Road Transport Workers among others.

Bolaji Olasunkanmi