Coca-Cola’s 70th anniversary in Nigeria was one for the books. I mean, what else did we expect? It’s ”THE” COCA-COLA! — and yes, there is a lot to unpack so grab your juice box or whatever feels like a comfort zone to you and enjoy.
First off, the invite-only event took place on Monday, November 22, 2021, at Eko Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria, and was well attended by the crème de la crème of the Nigerian media, the Coca-Cola System leadership, and key stakeholders and partners across the country. Shameless name drops will be the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat — like I said, it’s COCA-COLA!
The event opened to a lounge area that had mouth-watering finger foods, fabulously dressed guests chatting excitedly away, an all-you-can-drink bar with – I promise you – the most delicious cocktails you’ve ever tasted. The final boss of this section was a Coca-Cola System museum wing that had artefacts on display and a history wall that tracked the beverage company’s achievements for the last 70 years.
As the celebrations progressed, there was not one, but TWO exhilarating performances from the thespians at Terra Kulture, and all these happened while we stuffed our faces with delectable meals. It was not all play, however, as The Coca-Cola System, which comprises Coca-Cola Nigeria and its bottling partner, Nigerian Bottling Company, took some time to celebrate 70 iconic Nigerians who have been pivotal to the company’s business in Nigeria.
The highlight of the evening was the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo’s witty and encouraging speech. He spoke on how between 1975 to 2017, he probably drank 29,200 bottles of Coca-Cola. He also congratulated the Board and Management of The Coca-Cola Company on the iconic anniversary celebration and saluted the System’s hard work and dedication to thriving and maintaining its leadership position in the market.
