Nigeria bans foreign drinks at all govt functions

ABUJA (Reuters) - 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, his spokesman said on Wednesday.

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 Nigerian Bottling Company, the country's largest soft drinks manufacturer, produces most drinks under the Coca-Cola brand in the West African country. 7UP Bottling Company is licensed to sell Pepsi, 7UP and Mountain Dew.

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.

But critics say the real problem is not the lack of consumer demand for local products but poor electricity supplies and transportation system that keep costs high for local businesses.