The SMASHED Project is an initiative of Collingwood Learning
UK, aimed at breaking the culture of underage drinking and reducing
alcohol-related harm among underage persons in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Governor of Cross River
State, H.E. Ben Ayade, represented by the Deputy Governor, H.E. Prof. Ivara
Esu, commended the Beer Sectoral Group for its efforts in tackling the issue of
underage drinking through such a credible and impactful platform.
“We are pleased to collaborate with the BSG on the SMASHED
Project in Cross River State, as a public-private sector partnership on social
responsibility. Partnerships of this nature are crucial, as the government and
private sector have a better chance of achieving their shared objectives when
they work together.
“There is no gainsaying that the private sector comes with
significant insights. In this case, the BSG has extensive experience in social
advocacy against harmful consumption of alcohol, such as the SMASHED Project
and the BSG’s campaign against drink-drinking, to mention a few. The Government
of Cross River state is keen to build on such industry insights and have them
applied for the benefits of the good people of our state”, he said.
The Deputy Governor
went on to thank BSG for creating an avenue for positive social impact
others organizations can emulate, citing the initiative as a highly effective
means to influence the decision-making in teenagers with regards to underage
drinking.
In his address, the Chairman of Beer Sectoral Group, Jordi Borrut Bel stated that part of the initiative’s focus is to help teenagers build confidence in the face of peer pressure as it is considered one of the causes of underage drinking globally.
“The SMASHED Project is a global campaign against underage
drinking, aimed at educating and enlightening adolescents on the dangers of
underage drinking and ways to prevent and avoid it. With this Project, parents
are also engaged as this enables them understand the vulnerability of the
teenage years and how to sensitize their children on the dangers of underage
drinking.
“This is in addition to being encouraged to help preclude
their underage children from consuming alcohol by being better role models and
talking to them about how to overcome peer pressure during their formative
years”, he stated.
Mr. Borrut Bel went on to reiterate BSG’s commitment to
campaigning against the harmful use of alcohol, saying that its members will
continue to enlighten the public on the inimical effects of abuse.
“The campaign against underage drinking is only a part of a
broader aspect of the discourse on the harmful use of alcohol, which the BSG
and its members continue to advocate against. The key notion here is that the
dangers associated with alcohol consumption arise from the harmful use of
alcohol”, he added.
The SMASHED Project was introduced in Nigeria in 2018 and
has so far been delivered in Lagos, Abuja FCT, Ogun, Edo, Enugu, Anambra and
Delta states, covering over 100 different localities, both urban and rural. The
initiative has reached about 35,000 students in over 170 public and private
schools and has enjoyed the immense cooperation of the State Ministries of
Education, principals, teachers, guidance counsellors and students. The BSG
plans to continue to deliver SMASHED on an annual basis, with a focus on
reaching a minimum of 12,000 students across 60 schools in 3 states in 2021
alone (referring to Cross River, Delta and Oyo states).
Other social responsibility initiatives of the Beer Sectoral
Group include its annual Don’t Drink & Drive campaign and the donation of
breathalyzers to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). The BSG’s Don’t Drink
& Drive campaign has been delivered in Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt and
has in all cases included motor park rallies and billboard campaigns, educating
on the dangers of drink-driving. In addition to this, the BSG maintains an
active social media presence, through which it promotes public enlightenment
messaging on responsible consumption.
The BSG is a section of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria comprising leading beer manufacturers in Nigeria. Its membership currently consists of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Guinness Nigeria Plc and International Breweries Plc.
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