The Association of Advocates against Alcohol Harm in Nigeria, (ASAAHN) called on government to as a matter of urgency examine the ban of celebrities from alcohol advertisement in Ghana and replicate it in Nigeria as soon as possible
The association made this plea in a statement signed by Dr Franklin Umenze
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for premature death and disability in people between 15 and 49, causing 3million deaths globally. Most alcohol-related deaths are caused by alcohol use resulting from injuries, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and liver cirrhosis.
WHO stated that Nigeria is currently ranked amongst the thirty countries with the highest per capital consumption of alcohol globally with an increasing trend of female consumers.
“In 2018, WHO released the SAFER approach as an effective policy approach to curbing these effects of harm resulting from alcohol consumption, one of which is restricting or banning alcohol advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
“Every 10 seconds a person dies from alcohol-related causes including cancers, heart diseases, traffic crashes and violence’.
Recently, an Alcoholic herbal branded product; Adonko Bitters revealed some top celebrities as its brand ambassadors.
In an effort to meet its obligation as outlined in the Global Voluntary Target to reduce alcohol harm, Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) on behalf of the Government of Ghana has banned alcohol advertisement on television (TV) and radio from 6.00am to 8.00pm and has further outlawed the use of celebrities in alcohol advertisement.
The alcohol industry has therefore identified Nigeria as a soft target after being refused such harmful practices. The socioeconomic impact is huge and often times ignored.
“If the Government of Ghana and FDA will take such a bold step to protect its population and public health, what is preventing the Government of Nigeria and the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) from adopting effective measures to ban the use of celebrities in alcohol advertisement?”, he queried.
He stated that this inactiveness is certainly sending the wrong signal to the population especially the vulnerable and adolescent that drinking is acceptable with no warning on the effect of its harmful consumption. This unregulated advertising is common with other alcoholic brands in Nigeria.
The Association of Advocates against Alcohol Harm in Nigeria (ASAAHN), an alliance that brings together various CSOs involved in advocating for an effective National Alcohol Policy (NAP) strongly condemns this practice by the alcohol industries to undermine the health and future of our great nation Nigeria.
“Government should as a matter of urgency examine the ban of celebrities from alcohol advertisement in Ghana and replicate it in Nigeria as soon as possible”, Dr Franklin stated.
One of the key challenges with regulating alcohol advertisement is the lack of an effective National Alcohol Policy in Nigeria. ASAAHN is currently advocating for the development, adoption, implementation and enforcement of a National Alcohol Policy for Nigeria
