This interesting opinion by Tayo Agunbiade was published in This Day (Lagos).
Mrs. Tayo Agunbiade is a social development practitioner, radio presenter
and weekly columnist with Thisday newspaper, one of Nigeria's leading
national daily,
via AllAfrica.com
Nigeria: Another Side of Social Responsibility - AllAfrica
October 27, 2008
Tayo Agunbiade
To the observant, it is very clear that the tobacco industries operating in Nigeria are using Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a platform to worm their way into the public's consciousness as do-gooders. CSR is a veritable channel through which to plough back socio-economic value into host communities. It has proved to be a very successful way of using social investment as a route to development and growth. Though sometimes in public relations gimmicks it is manipulated by some corporate institutions, the overall objectives of CSR if applied sincerely are honourable.
Over the past couple of years, the British-America Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) through its charity arm, the British-America Tobacco Nigeria Foundation, has cleverly used some of the noble goals of CSR to push its way further into the good books of the Nigerian public. Simultaneously its toxic products i.e. cigarettes are being showcased as cool and fashionable. Its strategy is clearly to identify the gaps in our socio-economy and provide what it considers to be solutions to poverty reduction. Hence we see its support for initiatives such as provision of water, support for farmers, and other kinds of pro-poor interventions on the rise. Last week the Foundation inaugurated an animal husbandry project and laid the foundation stone for a vocational enterprise institution. Guests at the ceremony included the wife of a Governor.
All these point to the fact that the BATN and the rest and their products are further gaining popularity and affinity with the citizenry. The unholy wholesale push of its products through a series of anti-poverty interventions should by now have set alarm bells ringing. The corporation has clearly worked out how to keep its popularity alive and by extension the romantic liaison between the killer stick and Nigerians.
In advanced countries, smoking has come up against a strong tide of opposition from a vibrant anti-smoking lobby and it is no longer deemed so fashionable and funky. Over here, the anti-smoking lobby is up against the likes of BATN's heavy duty and 'pro-people' CSR portfolio. Activists may find it difficult to convince the poor farmer that the initiator of the support for his farm produce and the producer of the killer sticks being sold within his community, are one and the same. How do you explain to a community that has been deprived of potable water for so long that the supplier of its new water scheme does not have a very good record within the international community? Tobacco manufacturers through various kinds of initiatives are doing all that they can to keep their image clean in the public eye. Besides the CSR measures, aggressive advertisement comes in form of ubiquitous branding of shops, street vendors, souvenirs etc all targeting the nations youth.
A few weeks ago a news report told the world that cigarette packs in the United Kingdom would from October 1st 2008, carry vivid pictures of the damaged parts of the body depicting rotting teeth, throat cancer etc. The idea is to use the graphic images as shock tactics for smokers and persuade them to drop the habit. Smoking is increasingly been addressed as a social evil. Many documentaries have been shown about the kinds of damages it inflicts on the body and the horrific and fatal diseases associated with it. These include lung cancer, respiratory and heart diseases. For those who are sitting on the fence about social headaches such as this one, passive smoking has also been identified as a killer too.
Tobacco corporations have been banned from promoting sports, entertainment etc in Europe and America . Unfortunately in various parts of Africa , we still have them sponsoring events whose target audience are mainly the youth. Smoking is still being marketed as fashionable and the in-thing to do. Its hazardous effects on the body are very much downplayed.
One of the arguments being promoted by supporters are the jobs these tobacco industries are able to generate. But this is at such a high cost to the nation in terms of the number of able - bodied men and women who become incapacitated with tobacco-related illnesses. This is all the more alarming in our nation. We have been identified as one of the nations which possess a woefully inadequate healthcare sector. The very people who are targeted through the CSR tactics of the tobacco Foundation are those who lack the access to any form of healthcare.
CSR is all about gaining the trust of the consumers and giving them value for their money. Some of the goals include CSR are to secure customer loyalty, enhance the trust of stakeholders, and enhance public image. These according to an economic consultant and Vice-Chairman Hope Worldwide, Mr Albert May are some of the significant benefits of corporations engaging in CSR. In the case of the Tobacco Foundation the integration of social concerns into their business operations is not in the long term beneficial to the communities they serve. There is nothing friendly about tobacco. No matter how the product is dressed up it is still a killer. Period.
Anti-smoking lobbyists need to step up their campaign against the wiles and tactics of the Tobacco industry. A limit needs to be placed on its areas of influence. For instance targeting the vulnerable through needy interventions and flogging their harmful products in the process are not on. Government should not allow itself to be hoodwinked into accepting goodwill interventions (?) from the tobacco industry which will ultimately harm the people whose interests they (the government) were elected to protect. A lot is at stake on both sides of the coin. But the Government need to weigh which it considers more important. In the United Kingdom there is an argument that the number of people taken ill due to many years of smoking is taking its toll on the NHS. Hence the British Government has come with measures to discourage its citizens from smoking. Over here, the Government due to various socio-economic constraints may not be so bold to take up the issue head on. It seems the ball is in the court of the anti-smoking activists. Health experts, media practitioners etc should counter the onslaught by the likes of BATN to gain further acceptance amongst the citizenry by taking on populist social and environmental concerns. Anti-poverty interventions should not be used as a channel by the tobacco lobbyists to promote their products as a pleasurable way if life. Health education campaigns really need to be targeted towards the poor especially in the rural areas where many of the interventions and sales distributors are located. The rural populace need to be fully aware of the dangers involved as they inhale and exhale on their favourite brands.
Effective awareness campaigns mounted by activists require funds. The paucity of funds severely limits the extent to which the message can reach. One is not sure if the Government is sincerely disposed towards tackling smoking as one of the hazards in our society today. Early in the year a ban on smoking in public places was instituted. Not much has been heard about it since the announcement on No Tobacco Day.
Source: AllAfrica
October 27, 2008
Tayo Agunbiade
To the observant, it is very clear that the tobacco industries operating in Nigeria are using Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a platform to worm their way into the public's consciousness as do-gooders. CSR is a veritable channel through which to plough back socio-economic value into host communities. It has proved to be a very successful way of using social investment as a route to development and growth. Though sometimes in public relations gimmicks it is manipulated by some corporate institutions, the overall objectives of CSR if applied sincerely are honourable.
Over the past couple of years, the British-America Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) through its charity arm, the British-America Tobacco Nigeria Foundation, has cleverly used some of the noble goals of CSR to push its way further into the good books of the Nigerian public. Simultaneously its toxic products i.e. cigarettes are being showcased as cool and fashionable. Its strategy is clearly to identify the gaps in our socio-economy and provide what it considers to be solutions to poverty reduction. Hence we see its support for initiatives such as provision of water, support for farmers, and other kinds of pro-poor interventions on the rise. Last week the Foundation inaugurated an animal husbandry project and laid the foundation stone for a vocational enterprise institution. Guests at the ceremony included the wife of a Governor.
All these point to the fact that the BATN and the rest and their products are further gaining popularity and affinity with the citizenry. The unholy wholesale push of its products through a series of anti-poverty interventions should by now have set alarm bells ringing. The corporation has clearly worked out how to keep its popularity alive and by extension the romantic liaison between the killer stick and Nigerians.
In advanced countries, smoking has come up against a strong tide of opposition from a vibrant anti-smoking lobby and it is no longer deemed so fashionable and funky. Over here, the anti-smoking lobby is up against the likes of BATN's heavy duty and 'pro-people' CSR portfolio. Activists may find it difficult to convince the poor farmer that the initiator of the support for his farm produce and the producer of the killer sticks being sold within his community, are one and the same. How do you explain to a community that has been deprived of potable water for so long that the supplier of its new water scheme does not have a very good record within the international community? Tobacco manufacturers through various kinds of initiatives are doing all that they can to keep their image clean in the public eye. Besides the CSR measures, aggressive advertisement comes in form of ubiquitous branding of shops, street vendors, souvenirs etc all targeting the nations youth.
A few weeks ago a news report told the world that cigarette packs in the United Kingdom would from October 1st 2008, carry vivid pictures of the damaged parts of the body depicting rotting teeth, throat cancer etc. The idea is to use the graphic images as shock tactics for smokers and persuade them to drop the habit. Smoking is increasingly been addressed as a social evil. Many documentaries have been shown about the kinds of damages it inflicts on the body and the horrific and fatal diseases associated with it. These include lung cancer, respiratory and heart diseases. For those who are sitting on the fence about social headaches such as this one, passive smoking has also been identified as a killer too.
Tobacco corporations have been banned from promoting sports, entertainment etc in Europe and America . Unfortunately in various parts of Africa , we still have them sponsoring events whose target audience are mainly the youth. Smoking is still being marketed as fashionable and the in-thing to do. Its hazardous effects on the body are very much downplayed.
One of the arguments being promoted by supporters are the jobs these tobacco industries are able to generate. But this is at such a high cost to the nation in terms of the number of able - bodied men and women who become incapacitated with tobacco-related illnesses. This is all the more alarming in our nation. We have been identified as one of the nations which possess a woefully inadequate healthcare sector. The very people who are targeted through the CSR tactics of the tobacco Foundation are those who lack the access to any form of healthcare.
CSR is all about gaining the trust of the consumers and giving them value for their money. Some of the goals include CSR are to secure customer loyalty, enhance the trust of stakeholders, and enhance public image. These according to an economic consultant and Vice-Chairman Hope Worldwide, Mr Albert May are some of the significant benefits of corporations engaging in CSR. In the case of the Tobacco Foundation the integration of social concerns into their business operations is not in the long term beneficial to the communities they serve. There is nothing friendly about tobacco. No matter how the product is dressed up it is still a killer. Period.
Anti-smoking lobbyists need to step up their campaign against the wiles and tactics of the Tobacco industry. A limit needs to be placed on its areas of influence. For instance targeting the vulnerable through needy interventions and flogging their harmful products in the process are not on. Government should not allow itself to be hoodwinked into accepting goodwill interventions (?) from the tobacco industry which will ultimately harm the people whose interests they (the government) were elected to protect. A lot is at stake on both sides of the coin. But the Government need to weigh which it considers more important. In the United Kingdom there is an argument that the number of people taken ill due to many years of smoking is taking its toll on the NHS. Hence the British Government has come with measures to discourage its citizens from smoking. Over here, the Government due to various socio-economic constraints may not be so bold to take up the issue head on. It seems the ball is in the court of the anti-smoking activists. Health experts, media practitioners etc should counter the onslaught by the likes of BATN to gain further acceptance amongst the citizenry by taking on populist social and environmental concerns. Anti-poverty interventions should not be used as a channel by the tobacco lobbyists to promote their products as a pleasurable way if life. Health education campaigns really need to be targeted towards the poor especially in the rural areas where many of the interventions and sales distributors are located. The rural populace need to be fully aware of the dangers involved as they inhale and exhale on their favourite brands.
Effective awareness campaigns mounted by activists require funds. The paucity of funds severely limits the extent to which the message can reach. One is not sure if the Government is sincerely disposed towards tackling smoking as one of the hazards in our society today. Early in the year a ban on smoking in public places was instituted. Not much has been heard about it since the announcement on No Tobacco Day.
Source: AllAfrica
Comments