Ogogoro vs Vodka: A tale of two spirits

Many people are raising concern that the economic potential of Nigeria’s local gin, otherwise known as Ogogoro, is largely undermined, while its Russian version, Vodka, is highly celebrated worldwide.

This dissimilarity in the public acceptance of Ogogoro and Vodka is in spite of the fact that the two drinks have almost the same taste and a similar impact on the drinkers.

While Ogogoro drinkers are rated lowly, ridiculed and maligned as the dregs of the society, Vodka, on the other hand, is seen as an elitist drink; it is displayed in supermarkets and those who a penchant for drinking it are perceived as high-class people.

Ogogoro has different names in different Nigerian communities; it is called Sapele water, Shepke, Kparaga, Kai-kai, Push-me-I-push-you, Crim-kena, Akpuru achia, among other names.

In some places, Ogogoro is seen as an illicit drink but Vodka and other foreign spirits are stocked in famous liquor shops and big hotels.

Observers, however, trace the trend to the British colonialists who prohibited the production and consumption of Ogogoro in order to boost the sales and consumption of imported gin.

In some states in Nigeria, there are specific legislations outlawing the sale of Ogogoro and ironically, there is no mention of Vodka and other foreign hot drinks in the products’ prohibition list.

Interestingly, some foreigners who have had the privilege of savouring Ogogoro, testify that its imported counterparts do not taste better.
They, however, stress that a lot of needs to be done in provoking a change in the people’s perception of Ogogoro, adding that strategies such as better refining and packaging procedures for the drink should be adopted.

Mr Lawal Sale, a civil servant who studied in the now defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R), stressed that his Russian friends, who have had the opportunity of savouring Ogogoro, confessed that it had the same taste as Vodka.

According to him, the underlying problem is that Vodka is a traditional Russian drink, while the same cannot be said of Ogogoro in Nigeria.

“When one of my Russian friends tasted Ogogoro for the first time, he liked it a lot and compared it to Vodka."

“Ever since, he has always been an avid drinker of Ogogoro, having stayed in Nigeria for up to 15 years."

“The problem has to do with the general acceptability of Ogogoro as a national traditional drink; In Nigeria, it is only in some localities that people drink Ogogoro, unlike Vodka which is a traditional Russian
drink,’’ he said.

Sale, however, admitted that Ogogoro might find extremely it difficult to break into the international market because foreign liquors had dominated the market for years.

He noted that England was associated with gin, Scotland was associated with whiskey, while Latin American countries were associated with rum, adding, however, that “Ogogoro cannot be specifically associated with Nigeria.’’ Sale, however, rejected the notion in certain quarters that Ogogoro was an illicit drink, adding that such perception was somewhat skewed and imperfect.

He called on investors to look into ways of repackaging and rebranding Ogogoro, while making designed efforts to shore up its market potential.

Be as it may, research shows that the consumption of Ogogoro is quite high in Nigeria in spite of the outstanding rating of top-notch foreign spirits like Vodka; perhaps, due to economic reasons.

Investigations also reveal that there is a growing tendency to consume Vodka and other imported brands in the country because of factors induced by ego massage or status symbols.

A recent report of the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicated that local spirits continued to dominate the Nigerian market (75 per cent) because they were cheaper than imported brands.

It, nonetheless, said that Ogogoro did not meet the standards of the increasing high-class and middle-class consumers who obviously preferred premium brands.

“Market opportunity is here for those prepared to take advantage of the growing consumption of premium brands."

“Spirits consumption is socio-cultural in Nigeria and imported liquor dominates at many social and cultural events."

“The traditional open air markets remain the largest distribution channels for spirits in Nigeria."

“Though still low, the sale of spirits through formal retailers has continued to increase in recent years and it is expected that the bulk of spirits will be sold in Nigeria through off-trade outlets such as supermarkets, grocery retailers and open markets since spirits are mostly consumed at home, during parties and other social gatherings.’’

The report said that the processing and distribution capacity of local spirits in Nigeria had increased considerably in the last two decades, adding, however, that it had continued to meet mostly the needs of the low-income consumers.

It said that while the production and consumption of Ogogoro were increasing, its distribution patterns were largely unrecorded.

“Ogogoro contains a high alcohol volume (51 to 53 per cent) but it is cheaper and more affordable; and it is consumed by low-income local consumers,’’ it said.

However, the report said that a large segment of Ogogoro consumers were growing old, adding that consumption had slowed down among this group in order to avoid the increased health risks associated with alcohol.

On its part, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) said that it was willing to assist any company which indicated interest in exporting Ogogoro in well-packaged forms, in line with internationally acceptable standards.

Mr Joe Itah, NEPC’s Head of Public
Relations, however, said that made-in-Nigeria gin was already in the international market, as some companies were already exporting the product.

“NEPC does not have Ogogoro on its list except that some established companies like Nigerian Distilleries Limited is already exporting dry gin."

“Ogogoro is not a banned item and NEPC will cooperate with anybody that applies for a licence to export it,’’ he said.

The people, who have a penchant for drinking Ogogoro, perhaps, have various reasons for doing so.

For instance, Malam Ibrahim Yakubu, a security man in Abuja, said that he drank Ogogoro regularly because the spirit had been quite helpful to him in his efforts to cope with stressful conditions.

He said that he would have been dead before now but for Ogogoro, which provided him some psychological relief from his numerous troubles.

“Brother, there are lots of things running in my head at once. So, after each day’s hustling, I try to relax by sipping something."

“If I just go straight home without relaxing that way first, it would be quite tormenting. I may not be able to sleep; I will just be lying down and looking at the ceiling thinking, aside from my wife’s usual troubles.

“There was a time my boss bought me an expensive foreign gin; I tasted it and kept the bottle aside because it did not give me the kind of satisfaction I derive from guzzling Ogogoro,’’ Yakubu said.

All the same, Mr Dominic Orakpu, an Abuja-based psychologist, said that many Nigerians usually preferred expensive goods to cheap ones, adding that Vodka and other expensive drinks were no exception.

He said that it was basically a function of the mind for people to ask for Vodka and other foreign liquors so as to massage their ego and enhance their social status even when Ogogoro drinkers derive same kind of euphoria from guzzling the spirit.

“The status of Ogogoro could be enhanced via better refining, fancy bottling, and perhaps, a change of name since the name itself had attracted odium over the years."

“For instance, there is a brand of beer in the market now called Origin; when you taste it, you will discover it is a blend ofAlomo Bitters; but it sells well because it was well-packaged with a new brand name,’’ Orakpu said.

Observers say that people who disparage Ogogoro often argue that it is harmful, insisting, however, every drink could be harmful if ingested in excessive
quantities.

They, therefore, underscore the need to promote local brews and repackage them for exports, as part of the country’s export promotion and economic diversification drive.
(NANFeatures)

Chijioke Okoronkwo