Last May, the BBC African Eye published a documentary titled Sweet Sweet Codeine, which shed light on the Nigerian codeine addiction crisis.
The documentary explores the problem, the victims, the enablers, the beneficiaries and law enforcement agencies saddled with fighting the problem.
In the documentary, we see the BBC team go undercover as they sought to expose the people behind the proliferation of the drug on Nigerian streets.
That work has now been nominated for an Emmys Award for News and Current Affairs, the first for the BBC World Service.
Award-winning Nigerian investigative journalist Ruona J. Meyer led the project for BBC Africa Eye.
Ruona J. Meyer, who also consider the crisis a personal one, reveals in the documentary that her brother, C, was addicted to the codeine cough syrup. According to her narration, C became addicted to the drug following the assassination of their father, Godwin Agbroko, who was also an investigative journalist.
In her words: “I went the way of work and my brother went the way of drug addiction. Grief pushed him into a bad crowd, as it does to many addicts I have met.
Ruona also shares how she found out that C was using codeine syrup through posts his Facebook page.
“Some journalists pursue stories for fun or for money,” says Ruona, “I am pursuing cough syrup in anger, in rage and in love,” explains Ruona of her motivation to get to the root of the people who made it their business to flood the market with codeine.
And an incredulous Ruona was the one who announced the Emmys nomination on Twitter, writing:
“Guys, I am still taking it all in but…here goes: Sweet Sweet Codeine has just got an #emmys2019 NOMINATION for News and Current Affairs, the FIRST for the BBC World Service and #Nigeria!
CONGRATULATIONS, Team Africa Eye!”
Guys, I am still taking it all in but…here goes:
Sweet Sweet Codeine has just got an #emmys2019 NOMINATION for News and Current Affairs, the FIRST for the BBC World Service and #Nigeria!
CONGRATULATIONS, Team Africa Eye!— Ruona J. Meyer (@RGAMeyer) August 6, 2019
Congratulations to Ruona and the team!
And if you haven’t watched the documentary, we strongly recommend you do so.
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