NAFDAC announces date to enforce ban on alcohol in sachets, small bottles | READ DETAILS
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC has revealed that it will enforce the ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and bottles smaller than 200 milliliters by December 2025.
This was disclosed by NAFDAC’S Director General, Mojisola Adeyeye, while briefing the media in Abuja on Tuesday.
“The proliferation of high-alcohol-content beverages in sachets and small containers has made such products easily accessible, affordable, and concealable, leading to widespread misuse and addiction among minors and commercial drivers.
“This public health menace has been linked to increased incidences of domestic violence, road accidents, school dropouts, and social vices across communities,” Adeyeye said.
The Senate had on Thursday, November 6 directed NAFDAC to implement a total ban on the production and sale of alcoholic drinks packaged in sachets and containers below 200 milliliters by December 31, 2025, insisting that no further extension of the deadline would be allowed.
The resolution followed an extensive debate on a motion sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South), who expressed concern over NAFDAC’s repeated postponements of the ban despite growing public health and social concerns.
Ekpenyong reminded lawmakers that the agency had previously scheduled 2023 as the deadline before extending it to 2024, and later 2025, a pattern he said had emboldened manufacturers to continue lobbying for more time.
He cautioned that any further delay would constitute a betrayal of public trust and undermine Nigeria’s commitment to international health and safety standards.
