The Senate has ordered the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and other regulatory agencies to fully enforce the ban on the production and sale of high-strength alcoholic drinks in sachets from December 2025.
Lawmakers also ruled out any further extension of the deadline, insisting that the current moratorium remains final.
The directive followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong, who reminded the Senate that NAFDAC had earlier introduced a phased ban on sachet-packaged alcohol after wide consultations with industry stakeholders.
Ekpeyong recalled that in 2018, the Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), NAFDAC, and key industry groups, including the Association of Food, Beverage & Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) and the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding to gradually end the production and distribution of the products.
The agreement was aimed at curbing health and social risks associated with the affordability and easy access of sachet alcohol, especially among youths, commercial drivers and other vulnerable groups.
He noted that although the initial deadline had expired, the Federal Government granted manufacturers an extra one-year grace period in 2024, extending the phase-out to December 2025.
However, he expressed concern that some producers are now lobbying for yet another extension, warning that such moves undermine regulatory authority and pose serious public health and social risks.
Ekpeyong argued that the continued circulation of high-strength alcohol in sachets contributes to youth substance abuse, road accidents, domestic violence and other social problems.
Adopting the motion, the Senate directed the Federal Ministry of Health to ensure NAFDAC faces no obstacles in enforcing the ban and urged the Ministry to fast-track the release of the National Alcohol Policy, with clear provisions outlawing sachet packaging and supporting nationwide public awareness campaigns.
