By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
The Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) and Motivator’s Crib Africa (MCA) have trained Nigerian journalists on responsible reporting of alcohol related harm and policy responses, emphasising the need for accurate reporting and the use of appropriate language in covering alcohol related issues.
The organisations said the training was aimed at equipping journalists with the knowledge and skills to report alcohol related harm, its impact on individuals and communities, and the need for a national response.
The media training, held in Abuja, had as its theme, “Responsible Reporting on Alcohol Harm and Policy Responses.”
Speaking at the training, Director, Narcotics and Drugs Abuse Division, Food and Drugs Department, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Henrietta Onyeneke, said journalists had a responsibility to report alcohol related issues accurately and investigate matters of public interest.
She urged journalists to focus their reporting on budgetary provisions, policy enforcement, advertising exposure, outlet density, drink-driving data and access to treatment.
According to her, responsible reporting makes the often overlooked costs of alcohol harm visible and connects evidence to decisions that can prevent further harm.
Onyeneke also called for human centred reporting that highlights the experiences of affected families, survivors, health workers and people in recovery, while respecting their consent and dignity.
She noted that alcohol-related harm extends beyond consumers to families and communities.
“A person doesn’t have to consume alcohol to experience alcohol-related harm. The price of alcohol harm is paid in many places, such as households, through money diverted from food, school fees and rent, among others,” she said.
On Nigeria’s response, she said the country already had a National Alcohol Policy and Multi Sectoral Implementation Plan (2026–2030), stressing that the major challenge was ensuring effective implementation.
She explained that the policy would promote prevention awareness, screening and treatment, while reducing avoidable harm to drinkers and those around them.
She added that responsible industry development must also operate within public health safeguards.
According to her, having a policy is only a promise, as its impact depends on implementation, financing, enforcement and transparent reporting.
Also speaking, the International President of Movendi International, Juliet Namukasa, expressed solidarity with the initiative and described journalists as crucial to the ethical reporting of alcohol related harm.
She stressed the need for journalists to receive proper training on the appropriate use of language when reporting alcohol related issues.
Similarly, the new Executive Director of Movendi International, Maik Duennbier, said journalists had a responsibility to provide evidence based reports on the conflict between the commercial interests of multinational alcohol companies and the welfare of the wider population.
He described the issue as a contest between “the many versus the money,” arguing that the financial resources available to alcohol companies should not overshadow the interests of communities affected by alcohol related harm.
Duennbier urged journalists to look beyond industry narratives and examine the consequences of alcohol consumption, including violence against women, the vulnerability of young people and the economic costs borne by households and society.
In his remarks, the Executive Director of Motivator’s Crib Africa, Nwakocha Chijioke, said journalists had important roles to play before and after the passage of the National Alcohol Policy.
He urged the media to demand accountability by asking whether commitments were being funded, implemented and translated into measurable results.
Chijioke described alcohol related harm as a national development issue because of its implications for Nigeria’s health and safety.
He further called for a strong, enforceable, transparent and independent alcohol control framework that protects individuals and communities rather than commercial interests.
“Our take is to help secure a strong enforceable, transparent and independent alcohol control framework, one that protects people and communities, not commercial interests,” he said.
He added that the country must move “from awareness to evidence, from advocacy to legislative influence and from passage to accountability.”
Earlier, the Executive Director of Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), Philip Jakpor, said the World Health Organisation (WHO) had recommended guidelines for journalists reporting alcohol related issues.
He explained that the guidelines were developed by different organisations, including Movendi International, following research into how alcohol is covered in the media worldwide and how such coverage influences attitudes, practices and beliefs about alcohol consumption.
According to Jakpor, the guidelines provide journalists with approaches to covering alcohol consumption, its wider consequences and proven solutions.
He said the training also examined how journalists could develop alcohol related stories and evaluate the reporting and framing of alcohol in advocacy tools developed by civil society organisations.
Jakpor urged journalists to avoid common reporting pitfalls, including oversimplified narratives, misrepresentation of the health benefits of alcohol, reinforcement of harmful stereotypes, victim-blaming and sensationalisation of alcohol-related harm, such as binge drinking.
He concluded by offering journalists practical tips for reporting the effects of alcohol on public health and society.
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