Mixed reactions trail Nigerian government’s move to end sachet alcohol production

Since the idea of banning alcoholic drinks in sachets and small bottles in Nigeria was first mooted, certain Nigerians have not been comfortable with the idea.

The idea was first mentioned in 2018 but due to the public outcry then, the Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, and bodies like the Association of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), came together and agreed to sign a five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) to gradually phase out sachet and small-bottle alcoholic drinks.

Ever since then, the government has shifted the implementation a couple of times.

However, following the latest moves, reactions have continued to trail the idea.

First, it was alleged that the manufacturers of these categories of drinks went into an intense lobby to ensure that the idea was buried but that didn’t happen as it kept coming on and on.

What the manufacturers have been able to do was to have delayed the full implementation of the policy.

However, last week, specifically on Tuesday, November 5, the Senate ordered NAFDAC not to extend the December 31 implementation deadline for the production of alcohol in sachets and small bottles.

The resolution followed a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong representing Cross River South at plenary session on Tuesday last week.

Presenting the motion, Ekpenyong said the directive was in line with global regulatory standards and international best practices aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm among Nigerians.

He recalled that in 2018, the Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), NAFDAC and industry’s bodies, including the Association of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) voluntarily signed a five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) to gradually phase out sachet and small-bottle alcoholic drinks.

Ekpenyong explained that the Federal Government, upon appeals from manufacturers, had already granted a one-year moratorium in 2024 to enable producers to exhaust the existing stock and transition to compliant packaging alternatives.