Senate orders NAFDAC to enforce sachet alcohol ban from December

[Abigail pereowei]

The Senate has directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and other regulatory bodies to enforce without compromise the ban on the packaging of high-strength alcoholic beverages in sachet formats from December 2025.

The lawmakers also made clear that no further extensions would be tolerated, warning that continued lobbying by manufacturers undermines Nigeria’s public health priorities and regulatory integrity.

According to SaharaReporters, the resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong on the need to halt any further extension of the phase-out of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachet formats.

In his lead debate during plenary, Senator Ekpeyong reminded his colleagues that NAFDAC, in line with international best practices and after extensive consultations with industry stakeholders, had already announced a phased ban on the importation, manufacture and distribution of alcohol packaged in sachets.

He recalled that in 2018, stakeholders—including the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), NAFDAC and industry groups such as the Association of Food, Beverage & Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) and the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN)—had voluntarily signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The agreement committed signatories to gradually phase out such products, citing growing health and social risks linked to their affordability, portability and accessibility, particularly among children, adolescents, commercial drivers and other vulnerable groups.

Despite that commitment, Senator Ekpeyong lamented that the Federal Government had already granted a one-year moratorium in 2024 to enable manufacturers to exhaust existing stock and transition to compliant packaging alternatives, extending the phase-out until December 2025.

However, he expressed worry that some producers continue to pressure regulators for yet another delay.

He cautioned that such lobbying “undermines regulatory authority, threatens public health and distorts fair competition in the industry.”

Ekpeyong warned that the continued production of high-strength alcoholic beverages in sachet formats fuels “youth addiction, road accidents, school dropouts, domestic violence and other social vices.”

In a show of legislative resolve, the Senate also directed the Federal Ministry of Health to remove any impediments that could hinder NAFDAC’s enforcement efforts.

Furthermore, the lawmakers asked the ministry to expedite the release of the long-awaited National Alcohol Policy, expected to clearly prohibit sachet packaging of high-strength alcoholic beverages and strengthen nationwide public sensitisation on the dangers of irresponsible consumption.

In 2020, SaharaReporters reported that the Nigerian government had begun moves to end the packaging and selling of alcohol in sachet and small bottles.

To reduce availability and curb abuse, effective January 31 2020, producers of alcohol in sachets and small bottles are to reduce production by 50 per cent of capacity prior to January 2020.

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, in a statement said the packagings had led to an increase in the abuse of alcohol in the country.


https://www.facebook.com/share/17NWzrPCLY/