By Giwa SHILE
The Managing Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr Baker Magunda, has urged consumers, motorists and the public to make a personal commitment not to take alcoholic drink while driving.
Magunda made the plea on Tuesday at the 2018 EMBER Months Responsible Drinking Campaign jointly organised by the Guinness Nigeria Plc and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Lagos.
The managing director advised consumers to make a firm commitment never to drink while driving, urging them to sign the “Join the Pact Wall”.
The “Join the Pact’’ is a global initiative by Diageo, which was launched for the first time in Nigeria in December, 2017 for people to commit to “never to drink and drive’’.
“Together with Diageo, we hope to collect 80 million signatures by 2025.’’
Magunda said: “Remember that drivers have responsibility not only to ensure that passengers reach their destinations safely, but to ensure that they return home safely to see their families and the loved ones.
“Our aim for this campaign is to promote safety on our roads by fostering a culture of not drinking while driving.
“We believe that our position as a market leader places a significant responsibility on us to raise awareness about the importance of consuming alcohol in a responsible way.
“During the period referred to as `Ember Months’, we are eager to create increased awareness to ensure that Nigerians have an accident free experience.
“We have been partnering with the FRSC since 2004 when the first awareness programme on responsible drinking was organised, and both organisations have continued to strengthen this relationship,” Magunda said.
He said that the critical part of the approach was to execute impactful programmes in partnership with the governments, society, individuals, non-governmental organisations and other corporate organisations.
