Transport & Safety Week 2018: Safety is a way of life, the way we work at Guinness - Akoji Amedu

Guinness Nigeria Plc, a subsidiary of Diageo Plc, recently held its 2018 Transport and Safety Week, to reiterate the importance of safety both on and off the road.

With the theme, “Be safe”, Nigeria’s only total beverage alcohol company advised its employees, particularly drivers, to imbibe the core values of being Smart, Alert, Focused and Educated at all times.

Speaking at the event, Customer Service and Logistics Associate Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Akoji Amedu, stated that the Safety Week programme was put together to engage, educate and remind Guinness employees, particularly transporters of the importance of staying safe while at work and while driving on the roads. “Safety is a way of life, the way we work, the activities we engage in. Safety should be our overriding focus. When our employees come to work, they should be able to return home safe, “Amedu noted.

He said: “We believe that a single death caused by drinking and driving is one too many and can and must be prevented. We are encouraged that over the last few years, the number of alcohol related fatalities has fallen significantly across the country. However, there is more to do and we are committed to playing our role in eradicating harm caused by drink driving in Nigeria”

The brewing giant said the Safety Week activities happen periodically, but that the zero harm agenda is a continuous process, even as it promised to continue to work with various stakeholders to deliver the goal of zero harm in work places.

The Sector Commander, FRSC Lagos Command, Mr. Hyginus Omeje, commended Guinness Nigeria for organizing such a programme. He noted that this kind of programme will go a long way in entrenching safety among Guinness staff.

He stated that bad attitude of road users, coupled with low level of road safety education and awareness was responsible for many road accidents.

Speaking further, he said studies had shown that the causes of road traffic crashes were road, vehicle, and human factors, with human factor recording 85 per cent.

“The Guinness many people see are the trucks. Whatever is being done with the trucks is the way the brand is perceived. Not everyone may know where Guinness head office is located, or where the factories are. Hence why it is very important for the drivers to be well trained on the ethics of driving and staying safe on the roads,” Omeje said.

Guinness Nigeria has invested in several activities and initiatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps. In 2015 and earlier this year, Guinness Nigeria donated breathalysers to FRSC.

The Transport and Safety Week programme which has been organised in collaboration with stakeholders will feature engagement sessions with officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Medbury Medical Services, Fire Service, Nigerian Red Cross and the Media. The highlight of activities would be the Safety Road Walk.

It will be recalled that global beverage alcohol company, Diageo and United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) had launched a two-year partnership in 2017 entitled ‘Road Safety Initiative for Cities’, with the aim of building individual and institutional capacity of stakeholders around the world to reduce traffic deaths and injuries.