Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has banned all foreign sodas, beer and alcohol at official events and in federal offices as part of a campaign to promote Nigeria-made products, Reuters cited his spokesman as saying today. The nationwide beverage ban is largely symbolic since most international brand name drinks, such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Guinness and Heineken, are produced and bottled by Nigerian-based subsidiaries. The government is battling to restore self-confidence in Africa's most populous country, and launched a "Made-In-Nigeria" campaign on Tuesday. "President Yar'Adua noted that Nigeria with a population of over 140 million people has a market big enough to sustain a bubbling domestic industrial sector if only her citizens look inwards and patronize their local products," the presidency said in a statement.
