BBC Nigeria Documentary, ‘Sweet Sweet Codeine’ Lands Emmy Nomination

It is common knowledge that thousands of Nigerian youth are addicted to codeine – a medicine that’s become a street drug. The Nigerian senate estimated that 3 million bottles of codeine syrup are drunk every day in just two states, Kano and Jigawa.

A year ago, BBC Nigeria released a documentary, Sweet, Sweet Codeine, that explored this growing problem and the real, human victims of this rise of codeine addiction in Nigeria. Well, the documentary has now been nominated for an International Emmy.

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

Led by an award-winning Nigerian investigative journalist, Ruona J. Meyer, BBC Africa Eye went undercover to investigate the people behind Nigeria’s cough syrup crisis. And while there’s still a long way to go, the documentary is still breaking records.

The doc has won and been nominated for many awards, but perhaps the most significant is its 2019 Emmy nod. Sweet, Sweet Codeine has deservedly been nominated for an Emmy in the ‘News and Current Affairs’ category.

Their documentary exposed the horrors of the opioid crisis that Nigeria was unwittingly facing, as well as the corrupt forces behind it. This nomination is the first for the BBC World Service and the BBC Nigeria team. We are rooting for them!

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