The Senate has ordered the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to fully enforce the ban on the packaging of high-strength alcoholic beverages in sachet form by December 2025.
Lawmakers further resolved that there would be no further extension beyond the current moratorium, ending years of lobbying and delay by industry players.
The resolution followed a motion by Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong, who warned that continuous extensions undermine NAFDAC’s authority and threaten public health.
He reminded the Senate that in 2018, key stakeholders—including the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, and the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria—signed a five-year agreement to gradually phase out alcohol sachets due to their affordability and easy access among children, drivers, and vulnerable groups.
Senator Ekpeyong lamented that despite a one-year extension granted in 2024 to help manufacturers exhaust stock, some producers are still lobbying for more time.
He warned that sachet alcohol continues to fuel addiction, road crashes, school dropouts, and domestic violence across the country.
He said, “The continued sale of high-strength alcohol in sachets undermines public health and fuels social decay. NAFDAC must act decisively this time.”
The Senate urged the Ministry of Health to clear any obstacles hindering NAFDAC’s enforcement efforts and to immediately release the long-delayed National Alcohol Policy, which would outlaw sachet packaging of spirits and guide nationwide awareness campaigns.
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