The Senate has directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and other relevant regulatory bodies to strictly enforce the ban on the production and sale of high-strength alcoholic beverages in sachets, beginning December 2025.
Lawmakers also resolved that no further extension should be granted beyond the current moratorium.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong (Cross River South) on the need to halt any additional extension of the phase-out of alcohol packaged in sachet formats.
Leading the debate, Senator Ekpeyong reminded the Senate 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 in sachets.
He recalled that in 2018, key 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 and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) and the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) — voluntarily signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The agreement committed all parties to gradually phase out the production of high-strength alcoholic beverages in sachets, citing growing health and social concerns over their affordability, portability, and accessibility, particularly among minors, commercial drivers, and other vulnerable groups.
Ekpeyong noted that despite the initial deadline, the Federal Government granted 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, he expressed concern that as the new deadline approaches, some manufacturers continue to lobby for another extension — a move he said undermines regulatory authority, threatens public health, and distorts fair competition within the industry.
The senator warned that continued production of high-strength alcoholic beverages in sachet formats fuels youth addiction, road accidents, school dropouts, domestic violence, and other social vices.
Following deliberations, the Senate directed the Federal Ministry of Health to remove any impediments hindering NAFDAC’s enforcement efforts. It also urged the ministry to expedite the release of the National Alcohol Policy, which should explicitly prohibit sachet packaging of high-strength alcoholic beverages and support nationwide public sensitization campaigns.
