By Paul Dada
59% of pregnant women from the south-south region of Nigeria consume alcohol, says the Corporate Affairs Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Sade Morgan.
Morgan was speaking at the flag-off of an advocacy campaign, Mission Nine Zero’, meant to discourage women from consuming alcohol throughout the nine-month period of pregnancy. Nigerian Breweries is using two of its brands, Maltina and Amstel Malta for the campaign.
According to Morgan said studies show that while only 12.7 per cent of pregnant women in the southwest take to alcohol, 59 percent of them in the south-south consume it. She stated that some pregnant women consume alcohol because of traditional beliefs and cultural sentiments though they risk health issues such as low birth weight, preterm birth, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD),
In his remarks, the Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Hans Essaad, said it was necessary to raise awareness among pregnant women about the dangers of consuming alcohol, which brings harm to unborn babies.
“This campaign is not only focused on pregnant women but also a call to collective action against this growing societal concern. This year, we continue to consolidate our existing Brew a Better World (BaBW) initiatives by introducing Mission Nine-Zero, which is aimed at curbing the detrimental effects of alcohol misuse, notably among pregnant women. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy has serious health effects on children, which could affect the quality of life they will live. As we all know, children are the future, and the onus is therefore upon us to protect that future by ensuring we deliver healthy babies while safeguarding the health of their mothers,” he said.
