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“Your health is in your hands.” This brief sentence sounds ordinary but it is not as ordinary as it appears. It is indeed a life-saving mantra, if only people would adhere to its effortless six-word hygienic technique. A simple routine capable of saving lives through prevention of transmission of infectious diseases.
One of the main causes of the spread of infection is contaminated hands. But, strangely, till date, people all over the world find it difficult to simply wash their hands. This is despite the spate of international and local handwashing campaigns and empirical studies that have consistently proved that the practice of hand hygiene is a simple, effective way to prevent infections.
In the rich and poor stratum, many people still fail to appreciate the link between their habits and their health. There is therefore a need to advance behavioural change to break patterns militating against routine hand-washing and other personal hygiene practices, to reduce the risk of disease transmission.
Dettol has always been in the vanguard of hand hygiene. Last week, it upped its campaign to facilitate a healthier Nigeria through promoting behavioural change in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The leading antibacterial brand, penultimate Tuesday, held a colourful ceremony at Radisson Blu, Ikeja, Lagos, to launch the “Clean Naija Initiative,” a campaign aimed at creating awareness, education and driving behavioural change to achieve a cleaner and healthier Nigeria.
The ceremony, which had the leadership team of Reckitt Benckiser Nigeria and other dignitaries in attendance, also doubled as the unveiling of prominent Nollywood actress and award-winning producer, Funke Akindele-Bello, as its brand ambassador.
Mr. Dayanand Sriram, general manager, RB West Africa, said, “At RB, we have made it our responsibility and purpose to help people live healthier lives and have happier homes. It is why we are launching the Clean Naija Initiative, which is an integrated multi-level campaign with the aim of creating awareness, education and driving behavioural change to achieve a cleaner and healthier Nigeria.
“We recognise this is an enormous task and we acknowledge the partnership of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources. It is also my utmost pleasure to unveil leading Nollywood actress and award-winning producer, Funke Akindele-Bello, as the Dettol Clean Naija brand ambassador.
“Mrs. Akindele-Bello has been a worthy role model and an inspiration for all Nigerians. Having also recorded success in various selfless activities, we have deemed her worthy of leading our Clean Naija Initiative.”
The initiative comes at a critical time, as Nigeria has been ranked among the top nations that bear a significant portion of the global disease burden and high under-five mortality rates, with more than 150,000 children dying yearly. Many diseases, such as diarrhea, can be prevented by proper hand-washing habits and wide-scale hygiene education. This is a major motive for the Clean Naija Initiative.
Funke Akindele-Bello, the brand ambassador, who recently welcomed a set of twins, expressed delight at the new partnership.
At the event, she said: “As a new mother, I have come to appreciate more the need for improved hygiene practices. This campaign will help sensitise Nigerians on the health benefits of adopting simple but effective hygienic practices like proper hand-washing regularly.”
RB Nigeria, through the Dettol brand, has over the years developed a number of programmes committed to tackling public health and hygiene issues. These include the School Hygiene Programme and the New Mum’s Programme.
The Clean Naija Initiative will help educate children on proper hand hygiene habits through the School Hygiene Programme, while the New Mum’s Programme will enlighten pregnant women and new mothers on hygienic practices that will protect them and their children from deadly diseases like diarrhea.
Through the School Hygiene Programme, RB has educated over seven million children on proper hand hygiene habits, while the company has used the New Mum’s Programme to educate over five million pregnant and new mothers on hygienic practices to protect them during the pre- and post-natal phases of pregnancy.
The practice of hand-washing is no longer only a means of personal hygiene but an important measure of infection control. The incident of transmitting infectious disease could be minimised by ensuring that hands are washed, especially after using the restroom, before and after eating, when hands are visibly dirty or contaminated, after handshakes or contact with animals or inanimate objects.
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‘Terra seasoning cube is outcome of painstaking research’
TGI Distri Limited has launched Terra Seasoning Cubes and announced the availability of the product in all markets across Nigeria. Terra Cube is produced by West African Cubes (WACUB) Limited at its ultra-modern plant in Sagamu, Ogun State.
Mr. Sunil Sawhney, TGI group executive director (foods and distribution) and the managing director of TGI Distri, stated that: “Terra Seasoning Cubes are a true cooking sensation, allowing everybody to enjoy great taste. We are now releasing two variants, Beef and Chicken, into the market. Both variants come in single cubes of 4gm. Terra Cubes have particularly been designed to meet the palate requirements of all Nigerians, especially in terms of aroma and flavour. They are also designed to preserve the aroma of meals during and after cooking.
“The responses from product testers and early adopters have been very encouraging and we could not be more enthusiastic about releasing this seasoning revolution to the market.”
Also, at the product unveiling event, which took place in Lagos, Dr. Onyekachi Onuwbogu, executive director, commercial, TGI Distri, said: “Terra seasoning is launching with two SKUs to address different pocket power: 50-cube pack and a 25-cube pack. We are also launching with five free cubes in the 50-cube pack and two free cubes in the 25-cube pack as a consumer promo.”
Giving reasons for the choice of the brand’s pay-off line, “Locks the aroma in; Gets the taste out,” Onubogu stated that Terra Seasoning Cube has been formulated and manufactured to preserve the aroma of meals during and after cooking.
Responding to a question on why he believes the new brand would be accepted by the market, Sawhney said: “We believe in studying the needs of our consumers and acquiring genuine insights into their requirements and demands. We respond to these requirements with better products and services that enhance the quality of life. We support our product offerings with strategic marketing and sales initiatives.
“We are excited to be launching these new variants of seasoning cube into the market and we have no doubt that, in a short period of time, Terra Seasoning will gain competitive edge over other brands and control a large chunk of the market.”
2019 NewBrandsXPO to hold in July
The second edition of the NewBrandsXPO, an experiential exposition for new and emerging products and services, has been slated for 19th and 20th July 2019 at the MUSON Centre, Onikan Lagos.
According to Tony Usidamen, lead consultant of Uburu and co-promoter of the NewBrandsXPO, this year’s edition would also feature workshops for small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).
In his words: “Spurred on by the success of our maiden outing last June, we have decided to include workshops on several important subjects, from branding to financing, as part of events for NewBrandsXPO 2019, thus offering exhibitors and other participants practical insight and tips to help grow their businesses.”
On the importance of the expo, Lanre Samson, Heventin’s activations director and joint promoter of NewBrandsXPO, said: “Brands who build community will have staying power while those who don’t will fade. Whether it is with other exhibitors or the one-on-one time you will get to spend with prospects, NewBrandsXPO is a great platform to create rapport and build valuable relationships.
“There are many benefits for visitors, too, as they will get to sample new products and evaluate suppliers, make instant purchases at hugely discounted prices, follow latest trends and innovations, develop valuable personal connections and generate critical business contacts.”
Like the last edition, exhibitors at NewBrandsXPO 2019 will cut across different sectors, including IT and telecoms, consumer electronics and kitchenware, automotive and travel, FMCG, financial services, health and wellness, personal care, apparel and fashion accessories, food and drinks, and several others.
“About 3,500 persons, including exhibitors and visitors, participated at the 2018 event. With the introduction of free workshops this year, and a more intensive marketing and publicity campaign, more than 6,000 persons are expected to attend over the course of the two days,” Samson said.
Shoprite Nigeria lauded for promoting cashless transactions
Shoprite Nigeria has won the Cashless Driver Award in the Non-Bank Payment category at the 2019 edition of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Electronic Payment Incentive Scheme (EPIS) efficiency awards.
Now in its fourth year, the 2019 awards, recently held in Lagos, are based on objective analysis of all e-payments data collated by the Nigerian Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) over a full calendar year. According to the NIBSS, the annual award takes into consideration electronic payment transactions data rendered to CBN by banks and other licensed payment service providers as well as public voting and surveys administered to industry stakeholders for transactions within the year under review.
Shoprite was the only retailer to win at this year’s ceremony, as it recorded the highest volume of cashless transactions in 2018.
“As technology continues to evolve it has also changed customer shopping habits and the way people buy their groceries; this is why our teams are constantly working hard to bring new convenient shopping experiences to customers and we are delighted to be the first grocery retailer in Nigeria to have won this award,” said finance manager for Shoprite, Olayinka Olaniyi.
The annual event is part of a broader strategy, spearheaded by the CBN, to reduce the amount of cash in circulation in Nigeria. Shoprite has supported the CBN’s cashless economy for many years, and subsequently has seen card transactions steadily rise to where it currently makes up 40 per cent of all point of sale transactions in its 25 stores across 12 states of Nigeria.
