The Nigerian Senate has directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) along with other relevant regulatory agencies to ensure the strict enforcement of the ban on packaging of high-strength alcoholic beverages in sachet formats effective from December this year.
The lawmakers in the upper chamber gave the order followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Sen. Asuquo Ekpeyong on the need to halt further extension of the phase out of alcoholic beverages packaged in satchet formats.
They further resolved that no additional extension should be granted beyond the current moratorium.
Leading the ban debate during plenary, Ekpeyong the other legislators that NAFDAC, in line with international best practices and after extensive consultations with industry stakeholders, had announced a phased ban on the importation, manufacture and distribution of alcohol packaged in sachets
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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), voluntarily signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the phasing out of the satchet alcoholic beverages.
Specifically, the lawmaker maintained that the MoU committed them to gradually phase out such products, citing rising health and social concerns over their affordability, portability and accessibility, particularly among children, adolescents, commercial drivers and other vulnerable groups.
Ekpeyong explained that despite the initial deadline, the Federal Government granted the manufacturers an additional one-year moratorium in 2024 to enable them to exhaust existing stock and transition to compliant packaging alternatives, extending the phase-out until December 2025.
However, the lawmaker expressed concern that as the deadline approached, some manufacturers continue to lobby for another extension, noting that doing do will undermine regulatory authority, threatens public health and distorts fair competition in the industry.
The lawmaker cautioned that the continued production of sachet-packaged alcohol fuels youth addiction, road accidents, school dropouts, domestic violence, and other social problems.
After deliberations on the motion, the Senate adopted it and directed the Federal Ministry of Health to remove any obstacles that could constrain NAFDAC from enforcing the ban and to hasten the issuance of the National Alcohol Policy.
