The production, sale and consumption of Nigeria’s popular local gin, Ogogoro, has been banned in Taraba State in north-east Nigeria, as the state’s House of Assembly passes a bill to the effect.
Ogogoro, similar to imported gin, is brewed in virtually all states in Nigeria and it contains high level of ethanol ranging between 30 to 60 per cent.
Reacting to the ban, Dr Yakubu Tor-Agbedye, Special Adviser to the deputy speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives said on Sunday in Abuja that the action of the Taraba State government was commendable.
He said ethanol content in the local gin was usually contaminated with methanol which was responsible for blindness.
Tor-Agbidye said that the social havoc caused by the Ogogoro gin was unquantifiable.
“The consumption of the substance has induced many to exhibit criminal acts that would not have being exhibited. It has coursed problems to many families,” he noted.
“In addition to the fact that it is improperly brewed by amateurs, the drink is extremely dangerous.
“It also has been linked to the death of many Nigerians and is among the substances commonly abused by youths,’’ he said.
He called on other states to follow the steps taken by Taraba State to enact laws prohibiting its sale and consumption.
The local gin was branded “illicit” by the British colonialists, making its brewing and consumption a criminal offense while it encouraged the importation and consumption of imported gin.
Source African Press Agency
African News from NetNewsPublisher.com
Related articles by Zemanta
- Nigerian Road Safety Commission Launches Walking And Jogging Program (netnewspublisher.com)
- Nigeria’s National Space Research And Development Agency to Set Up Two Research Stations to Detect Areas Prone to Natural Disasters (netnewspublisher.com)
- Arewa Consultative Forum Insists That President Umaru Yar’Adua of Nigeria is Unfit to Rule (netnewspublisher.com)
