The Federal Government has directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to immediately suspend its enforcement actions relating to the proposed ban on sachet alcohol and 200ml PET bottle alcoholic products.
The government also warned the agency to immediately stop sealing factories and warehouses over the issue.
The latest directive to the NAFDAC management was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Special Adviser on Public Affairs to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Terrence Kuanum, in Abuja.
Kuanum stated that the order followed a joint intervention by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), which raised concerns over the security implications of continued enforcement in the absence of a fully implemented National Alcohol Policy.
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He maintained: “Accordingly, all actions, decisions, or enforcement measures relating to the ongoing ban on sachet alcohol are to be suspended pending the final consultations and implementation of the National Alcohol Policy and the issuance of a final directive.”
The SGF aide stated that although the National Alcohol Policy had been signed by the Federal Ministry of Health in line with the directive of President Bola Tinubu, both offices insisted that NAFDAC must refrain from all enforcement measures until the policy is fully implemented and further directives are issued.
Kuanum listed such measures as including factory shutdowns, warehouse sealing and public emphasis on the sachet alcohol ban.
According to him, the continued sealing of warehouses and what it described as a “de facto ban” on sachet alcohol products, without a harmonised policy framework, is already causing economic disruptions and posing security risks, particularly due to its impact on jobs, supply chains and informal distribution networks nationwide.
Kuanum stressed that the latest position of the government reinforced an earlier directive issued by the SGF’s office in December 2025, which suspended all actions relating to the proposed ban pending consultations and a final decision.
He added that the SGF’s office had also received a letter from the House of Representatives Committee on Food and Drugs Administration and Control dated November 13, 2025, raising concerns over NAFDAC’s proposed enforcement actions and referencing existing resolutions of the National Assembly on the issue.
The letter with Reference Number NASS/10/HR/CT.53/77 and signed by the Deputy Chairman of the committee, Hon. Uchenna Okonkwo, raised concerns over NAFDAC’s proposed enforcement actions and drew attention to existing resolutions of the National Assembly on the issue.
Kuanum disclosed that the government was reviewing legislative resolutions, public health considerations, economic implications and national interest factors surrounding the alcoholic drinks matter
The statement clarified that government’s involvement of the National Security Adviser showed that the issue had gone beyond regulatory concerns, warning that premature enforcement without coordinated policy implementation could destabilise communities, worsen unemployment and trigger security challenges.
The government assured Nigerians and industry stakeholders that a final decision would be communicated to them after consultations and inter-agency coordination, in the interest of public health, economic stability and national security.
