Ilorin and the Rise of Local Gins: A Concern to Us All
By: Ibraheem Olasunkanmi Qoseem
Back in the days, one of the things that made Ilorin a coveted and unrivalled city, unique for its holiness, was its strictness and intolerance for filth and its associates. In recent time, we have allowed our quest for civilization to cart away our long-cherished legacy, leaving us with unhealthy circumstances for our wellbeing and sanctity.
For many of us, when we travel out of the town or the state and see how cheaply local gin has become on the streets and how it is openly abused by both minors and adults, a sense of nostalgia often creeps in, and we silently pray for our ancestors who once maintained such sanity and discipline.
Today, there is a twist in the narrative. What gradually started at the outskirts in different locations across the city, especially around garages, is now becoming unbecomingly visible in the popular areas of the Emirate. Sadly, many among us are becoming ambassadors of what we once condemned. Where is the conscience?!
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Well, whether local gin or other breweries, none is advisable for consumption. They are lethargic, socially disruptive, and economically distressing. My concern is more on local gin because they are largely unregulated, substandard, and cheaply accessible.
If we fold our arms without action, we are sitting on a gunpowder, and the consequences are not far-fetched possibilities. We are already feeling the heat-it is deafening, dreadful, and deeply unsettling. Its direct impacts are evident in the rising cases of liver, kidney, and other organ failures. I am also aware of how economically strained our people have become in recent times due to persistent health-related financial burdens.
Beyond that, have we carefully considered what is contributing to the rising rate of road accidents, particularly among commercial riders and cyclists within the city? The influence of gin or other relate influence cannot be ignored. Similarly, the persistent cases of gender-based violence and other forms of crimes, as well as rising incidents of sexual harassment, are often linked to intoxication.
Local gin in all its forms does not belong here. For the sake of sanity and posterity, let us sanitize our society from this growing menace. To the custodians of the city, the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), Ilorin Emirate Youth Development Association (IEYDA), among others, this is another cause worthy of your refined energy and strategic influence. There is need for partnership with agencies such as the NDLEA and NAFDAC to strengthen oversight, enforce existing standards, and intensify public awareness on the risks associated with alcohol, especially unregulated ones.
At the same time, these associations can collaborate with the National Orientation Agency and other community-based organizations to lead coordinated advocacy, using culturally grounded approaches to educate, engage, and influence behavior at the grassroots level.
This is not a responsibility for institutions alone. We must all take ownership by questioning what we consume, discouraging unsafe practices, and actively supporting community-driven health protection efforts. Simple and consistent actions by raising awareness within households, guiding younger people away from harmful consumption patterns, and speaking up against the normalization of risky trends are crucial and there is no better time than now. When we begin to see ourselves as part of the solution, community norms begin to change.
The growing presence of local gin in Ilorin demands more than concern, it demands response. If we are to protect public health and preserve the values we hold dear, then deliberate, coordinated, and sustained action must begin now. The cost of inaction will not remain abstract for long; it will be measured in lives, livelihoods, and the gradual weakening of the social fabric we seek to protect.
Ibraheem Olasunkanmi Qoseem is a Medical Laboratory Scientist writes from Ilorin, Kwara State.
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