Many celebrities and oda popular figures for Ghana dey react afta Supreme Court uphold di Food and Drugs Authority, FDA ban on celebrity alcohol advertisement
Dis guideline by di food and drugs authority (FDA) dem publish for 2016, dey prevent dem from promoting alcoholic products.
“No well-known personality or professional go dey used for alcoholic beverage advertising.”
According to di FDA, dis na to stop minors and dia pikins from “getting hooked to alcohol due to di influence of dis celebrities.”
Dat no be all.
Di guideline also tok say, “Alcoholic Beverage companies providing sponsorship shall not sell, offer as prizes, give out samples of dia products and/or distribute promotional materials to participants of programs organized for persons below di age of 18 years.”
E also dey provide say if alcoholic beverage company don dey sponsor some program or well-known personality, activity or festival, di advertisement or publicity material need to dey submitted to di FDA for approval.
For November 2022, manager of music duo Reggie ‘N’ Bollie and Screwfaze carry di mata go supreme court.
Mark Darlington di plaintiff describe di FDA regulation against celebrities advertising alcoholic products say e be “discriminatory against di creative arts industry”.
Di writ at di time tok say wetin di FDA dey do dey violate di constitution wey dey tok say nobody suppose suffer discrimination on di basis of dia race, colour, political beliefs, economic and social status and religion.
Oga Mark Darlington tok say make di court throway dat FDA ban on alcohol advertising by celebrities.
But di court for dia majority decision uphold di regulation of di FDA say make dem ban celebrity advertisement of alcohol.
Dem tok say celebrities and oda popular pipo for no endorse or promote dis alcoholic beverages.
Delivering di judgement, di chief justice Gertrude Torkonoo tok say di FDA directive no dey contravene di constitution.
Im also add say di FDA law get nothing to do with discrimination against dis celebrities, na simple law to sanitize di industry.
Di court explain say di FDA neva dey excessive or unreasonable wit dia regulation on dis mata,
Dis ruling don end di 19-month court wahala ova dis mata.
But despite di ruling, di pipo wey carry di mata go court say dem go try to see if dem go fit to appeal di decision.
Reactions afta di ruling
One of di parties for di court mata, Nii Ofoli Yartey tok say some areas of dis regulation dey require clarification.
“We go tok to di FDA to see how we fit to understand dis mata well, sake of, dem dey tok say if Sarkodie or oda ogbonge artiste don establish alcohol company, e dey mean say dem no fit to do am or wetin?”
Nii also add say “we need to know di limitations and di extent we fit go for dis mata, so we need clear picture. Sake of dis companies still dey sponsor events and oda programmes so we need to know how far dey too far.”
Anoda Ghanaian actor and media personality George Quaye wey vex for dis mata also react to di ruling.
George dey wonder how media pipo fit to dey read live presenter mentions (LPMSs) of dis alcohol products for TV or radio, but dey no fit advertise dem.
“E get time wey even on-air, some TV and radio dey price dia LPMs based on di personality wey dey read those ads sake of brand equity and brand voice, dat one too na brand endorsement.”
George also tok say “dis loss dey on di FDA sake of celebs and popular pipo na reasonable human beings so di FDA need to sit wit dem to get common ground, but say dem dey ban dem completely, no make sense.”
For di part of di FDA law wey dey tok say make dis alcohol beverage companies no put dia billboards near schools and oda places, George say dat also no make sense.
“You sabi di number of alcoholic beverage billboards wey dey town if you dey drive your pikin to school? E no be di one close to di school wey go affect di child negatively.”
For Camidoh wey be afropop/R&B artiste, di court decision no make sense.
“Di court for ban pipo say make dem no take alcohol, na so we go understand. But to ban celebrities wey dia job na to advertise and get paid, e no make sense.
If you ban celebs, wey children still dey social media dey consume all kinds of content for there, wetin you gain? Sake of dis alcohol companies dey advertise for social media anyway.”
For di food and drugs authority, di court ruling na good news.
Director for legal services for di FDA, Joseph Bernie tok say dia regulation dey in di interest of public health and safety.
“FDA gat nothing against any celebrity or well-known personality, but we sabi di influence dis pipo get on our youth. Dis youth follow di celebrities wey dem dey do whatever di celebrities dey do, and we also sabi wetin alcohol fit do to human body.”
Di FDA oga explain say “di youth dey affected by dis alcohol addiction wey we for protect dem from destroying diaserf”
“We fit to partner dis celebrities to speak against alcoholism but not to endorse alcohol use.”
Im also clarify say di FDA no dey against general advertisement of alcohol, but di difference na di use of celebrities and popular pipo.
“We no dey stop any company from advertising alcohol, pipo fit to do am, but na celebrities and popular pipo we dey stop. Na dem get di influence on di public.”
‘Di FDA ban no make sense’
Musician Wendy Shay na one of di artistes wey tok say di law no make sense.
For one tweet back in 2020, Wendy Shay tok say “I don lose one deal wey dey worth 1000s of dollars wit foreign alcohol company. I neva know say celebrities no fit to advertise alcoholic beverage for Ghana. Like seriously? Small food pesin go chop, you wan take for our mouth.”
Di ‘uber driver’ hitmaker tok say di law dey “discriminate.”
Dancehall artiste Shatta Wale also vex about dis decision wey for 2020, im rant for social media say di FDA decision make Ghanaian alcoholic beverage companies dey use Nigerian celebrities to promote dia products.
Dis na afta photos surface online wit Ini Edo, Jim Iyke, Victor AD and odas wey dem unveil as brand ambassadors for Ghanaian alcoholic beverage Adonko for Nigeria.
Shatta Wale tok say “Ghana musicians only tink about awards and not business, we we don dey tink like pikins, no wonder di FDA dey see we as great influence for di minors. Poor industry, poor mentality.”
Rapper Tic Tac for 2020 also criticize di FDA afta im see di pictures as dem unveil di Nigerian stars as promoters and influencers for di alcohol brand.
“Dem say our celebs no fit to advertise our own local alcohol brands so dem take all di moni go give naija celebrities make dem do di job simple.”
Tic also add say “Ghana FDA una dey sure say una know wetin we dey do wit dis law? When our pipo go learn?”
Oda musicians like Edem, Camidoh, Kuami Eugene all tok against di decision by di FDA at di time di mata go court.
Afta almost two years, di Supreme Court finally give im ruling.
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