The continuing ugly activities of tanker drivers on the Mile 2 – Apapa-Oshodi Expressway are appalling, as they have virtually turned the road to their toilet, bathroom and kitchen. However, these activities have opened a lifeline for other set of enterprising Nigerians desiring to make life more meaningful through hard work.
But the sad aspect of all this, considering the way and manner the tanker drivers buy and consume alcoholic beverages, is quite out of place. Before now, alcoholic and energy drinks were mostly sold in supermarkets, grocery retail stores and open markets. But recent sales of both branded and unbranded alcoholic products at traffic jams by these drivers have raised concerns following rise in turnover (both in number of sellers and profit) among the mobile sellers and increase in the number of drivers and their motor-boys (apprentice) that patrionise them, are becoming alarming.
While alcohol producers, as part of their core business commitment to promote responsible consumption of their products, have initiated numerous responsible drinking initiatives focused on consumers and the general public, BusinessDay findings show that street vendors in Lagos are in the habit of selling chilled alcoholic and energy drinks in traffic, especially at motor parks.
A new study shows that seven out of 10 tanker drivers in Lagos do not know the legal limit for driving and drinking.
The study, released by the Global Actions on Harmful Drinking department of the International Centre for Alcohol Policies, also reveals that nine out of 10 inter-city bus drivers who consume alcohol, say there is little or no chance of being caught by government officials.
This practice, BusinessDay observes, has continued unchecked for a while now. As brewers/distillers companies in a bid to ensure successful marketing strategy, create strong portfolio of brands across all segments of their products in cans, an array of energy drinks are now spiced with canned brands of common alcoholic beverages into the hawkers’ polythene bags/buckets, for sale in traffic.
The hawkers with transparent buckets or polythene bags filled with assorted drinks, move between vehicles in the traffic towards customers who are in their trucks or cars. Their canned goods of alcoholic and energy drinks, neatly arranged in the bag with ice packs placed on top are always competing for the attention of customers – motorists, commuters, pedestrians – who usually patronise them.
Sani Babalola, a driver that plies Ikeja to Egbeda, told BusinessDay that the indiscriminate sale of alcohol was on the rise.
According to Babalola, “the indiscriminate sale of alcoholic drinks in Lagos has become worrisome. Many commuters now find it easy to drink while driving as it is sold to them in the comfort of their cars.”
Babalola explained that drivers constitute the largest number of those who patronise sellers of alcoholic drinks in traffic, motor parks and on highways.
“It is now a habit for most of the drivers to buy these drinks while in traffic jams and drive while drinking. The way out is to draw the attention of relevant government agencies because the moment they curb the practice of prohibiting hawking of alcoholic and energy drinks, it would naturally eliminate the danger posed by the sale of these drinks in traffic,” he said.
For Ibrahim Majekodunmi, hawkers mingle among vehicles and sell alcoholic and energy drinks to drivers who are supposed to be concentrating while driving, especially in the kind of heavy traffic that characterise Lagos roads.
This has obviously affected safety on the roads. The World Health Organisation reports that the consumption of alcohol, even in relatively small amounts, increases the risk of involvement in a crash for motorists and pedestrians. It estimates that nearly 1.2 million people die, and millions more injured or disabled, every year as a result of road crashes, mostly in low-income and middle-income countries.
This statistics has in no way curbed people’s act of drunk driving and the fact that most regulatory bodies have no way of ascertaining the level of alcohol consumption has also contributed to the evolution.
Anne Agbaje
