Wines and spirits producers under the umbrella body, Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DBAN) have announced the launch of a six months campaign against underage and irresponsible drinking across the country.

The Chairman of the association, Chief Patrick Anegbe, announced the initiative on Thursday while addressing the media and other stakeholders.

He noted that underage and irresponsible drinking were serious social problems that needed to be addressed even it affects the bottom line of the association members.

Anegbe said that the association had budgeted N170m for the second phase of the campaign after spending N90m on the first phase.

He said that the campaign will include advocacy on radio, bus branding, billboards, social media and television commercials, among others.

“Underage and irresponsible drinking are issues of concern to the association. In 2019, our deep value for corporate social responsibility necessitated that we should respond with a strong advocacy platform to drive responsible drinking and zero-alcohol consumption for minors and underage.

“The campaign has been broken into three phases for smooth execution and the evaluation of our set objectives.

“Our concern is that anyone below the age of 18 years must not drink alcohol and even the adults who want to drink must drink responsibly. We are socially responsible and that is why we are saying the underage must be protected, even if our bottom line is affected,” he said.

The Chairman said that for the campaign to reach a wider audience, inter-state commercial busses that travel between Lagos, Abuja and other states would be branded, adding that the campaign would be pan-Nigeria, reaching Kano, Port Harcourt, Onitsha and Aba.

He said that the association will continue to work hand-in-hand with regulatory agencies such as National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Federal Ministry of Health and other government agencies.

Speaking at the event, the Director-General, NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, said that she has taken note with keen interest of the numerous advocacy campaigns being launched by DBAN against underage and irresponsible drinking.

The Director-General, who was represented by the Director, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Mr Sheriff Olagunju, said that the consequences of underage drinking could be very devastating as found in delinquent behaviours such as cultism and armed robbery.