Musa Aliyu, director, Media Advocacy and Technologies Centre for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention has raised the alarm that the prevalence of alcohol consumption among young individuals rate is about 30.5 percent.
Aliyu, who disclosed this in an interview with BusinessDaySunday in Ilorin, said youth alcohol consumption is on the rise on a daily basis, adding that young people between the ages of 10-24 years are becoming alcoholics due to societal negligence.
The main factor responsible this according to him is the absence of national policy on alcohol marketing in the country.
“Nigeria is one of the countries that have not yet developed a policy framework on how liquors should be sold in our communities living more than 65percent adolescents vulnerable to alcoholism.
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“Companies are bringing new alcoholic products that deepen the customer base and youth demographics are their main targets. Though, they have a slogan that alcohol should not be sold to under 18 years, research has shown that young people can get any alcohol of their choice without much stress,” he said.
He further lamented that packaging of alcohol in small sachets and selling for as low as N50 makes it easy access to alcohol and unfortunately, alcohol is sold in school areas and neighborhood; exposing future generations to hazard and dangers.
Aliyu, however, commended Lagos State government for her recent ban on indiscriminate marketing of alcohol in motor parks and other high vulnerable areas, charging others to follow suit, “let this ban extend to other areas and sanctions should be placed on the perpetrators,” he said.
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