'Please don’t ban ogogoro' - distillers’ union begs FG

Makers of local gin, popularly known as ogogoro under the aegis of Okwagbe Distillers Union, Delta State, have appealed to the federal government not to ban the production of the alcoholic drink.



The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, had last week stated its resolve to commence the confiscation of ogogoro and conduct sensitization across the country, following the death of 38 persons arising from the consumption of the local gin in Rivers and Ondo States.

Reacting to NAFDAC’s resolution, Chairman of the union, Mr. Samuel Egedegbe, stated that their distilled gin does not kill, emphasizing that “it is the Ogogoro produced from methanol that kills”.
He reiterated that that “distilled gin” is produced from palm wine derived from raffia palm or liquefied sugar mixed with yeast and “well cooked before distilling the gin”.

He added that “in the case of methanol they do not have factories and they do not cook before distilling their gin rather they only mix the methanol with water inside their houses and automatically they have produced gin inside their bedroom, but we the members of the distillers union distill the gin through a process before producing our gin.”

On his part, Secretary of the union, Prince Anthony, disclosed that the union was duly registered with the Delta State Government since 18 June, 2010 with registration number 0938, arguing that “if we are transacting illegal business we would not have registered it with the government.”

Other members of the union, Roseline Usivraka, Janet Enavwomada, Orugbene Kprowe said they have been in the business for a very long time, saying they have no other source of livelihood.