NOA Alerts On Secret Sale Of Killer ‘Ogogoro’

The National Orientation Agency (NOA), Rivers State has alleged that some dealers were secretly selling the killer gin ‘Ogogoro’ to the public in spite of clear warnings by government not to do so.
So far, over 71 persons have died from the consumption of the local gin, while nine are currently suffering from one methanol induced ailment or the other.
Although the State Director of the agency, Mr. Oliver Wollugbom, who disclosed this at a one-day seminar on Gender and Development organised by the agency in Port Harcourt, did not give out details of the dealers allegedly violating the directive however, gave the names of local government’s affected by the incident to include, Gokana, Obio/Akpor, Bonny, Port Harcourt and Ahoada West local government areas.
Wollugbom said that the agency was taking the fight against the killer ‘Ogogoro’ to the grassroots, adding that NOA was reaching out to both the brewers and dealers with a view to sensitizing them on the dangers of consuming the gin now without a clean bill of health on it by government.
The NOA director further said that the workshop was organised to build capacities of both staff and other members of the public as well as sharpen their knowledge on issues affecting the society.
Meanwhile, a Professor of Pharmacology and visiting Professor University of Port Harcourt, Professor Vincent Idemyor has argued that integrating gender into development plans will create opportunity for the rapid development of the society.
Idemyor, who was the guest lecturer at the seminar, said that gender development can drive programmes as the potentials are there for everyone to maximize.
The University lecturer also stressed the need for Nigeria to take an audit of herself with a view to checking the continuous dependence on foreign aids.
Idemyor further tasked Nigerian Universities to explore ways of providing solutions to the nation’s problems, adding that Universities need to direct themselves to bringing public interest and private benefits together for the purpose of development.
“We must make sure our institutions are working for us, we need to challenge the Universities to get things done”, he said.
He also stressed the need for Nigerians to cultivate the attitude of saving for the future.