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The Senate on Thursday directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and other regulatory bodies to enforce the ban on the packaging of alcoholic beverages in sachet formats beginning December 2025. This is as the lawmakers resolved that no additional extension should be granted beyond the current moratorium. New Telegraph reports that the development followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong on the need to stop further extension of the phase-out of Alcoholic Beverages packaged in sachet formats. 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 packaged in sachets. Senate Confirms Udeh For Ministerial Appointment Senate Probe Panel Uncovers $300BN Unaccounted Crude Oil Revenue Kalu’s Electric Vehicle Transition Bill Scales Second Reading In Senate He noted 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). He recalled 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, Senator Ekpeyong expressed concern that as the deadline approaches, some manufacturers continue to lobby for another extension, a move he said undermines regulatory authority, threatens public health and distorts fair competition in the industry. He warned that the continued production of high-strength alcoholic beverages in sachet formats fuels youth addiction, road accidents, school dropouts, domestic violence and other social vices. Following brief deliberations, the Senate resolved to also instruct the Federal Ministry of Health to remove any impediments preventing NAFDAC from carrying out its enforcement responsibilities. The lawmakers also asked the Ministry of Health to expedite the release of the National Alcohol Policy, which should clearly prohibit sachet packaging of high-strength alcoholic beverages and support coordinated public sensitisation efforts.
