Senate has called on National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to proceed with the planned phase-out of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets, insisting that the deadline must not go beyond December 2025.
Gatekeepers News reports that the resolution was adopted after a motion sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, representing Cross River South, was debated and seconded by Senator Anthony Ani of Ebonyi South during Wednesday’s plenary.
Presenting the motion, Ekpenyong noted that sachet-packaged alcoholic drinks remain widely accessible, inexpensive, and dangerously popular among underage children, adolescents, commercial drivers, and other vulnerable groups.
He recalled that in 2018, the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), NAFDAC, and industry stakeholders signed a five-year memorandum of understanding to gradually eliminate sachet alcohol production due to its growing public health risks.
The senator explained that while manufacturers were granted a one-year grace period in 2024 to adjust their production processes, some industry players have continued to lobby for an additional extension.
According to him, allowing the continued sale of sachet alcohol undermines regulatory efforts and fuels addiction, impaired cognitive function, road accidents, domestic violence, and other social vices.
Citing Section 17(3)(f) of the Constitution, Ekpenyong stressed that the state has a duty to protect children and young persons from exploitation and neglect.
Following deliberations, Senate resolved that NAFDAC and all relevant agencies must strictly implement the ban by the December 2025 deadline. Lawmakers also directed the Federal Ministry of Health to ensure effective enforcement without further delay.
The chamber further urged the ministry to hasten the release of a comprehensive national alcohol policy to guide regulation and public sensitisation. The National Orientation Agency (NOA) was also tasked with intensifying awareness campaigns, particularly targeting young people in schools.
During discussions, Senator Sunday Karimi from Kogi West questioned the urgency of the motion. However, Senate President Godswill Akpabio ruled that the matter was of immediate national importance due to its public health implications.
He said, “It is urgent; I think it is urgent enough. Thank you for bringing this to the fore, particularly because of the dangers involved in this.”
“And the fact that it is very easy for young school children to be moving around with sachets in their hands, and you will not know that what they are taking is high alcoholic beverages and all that.”
“I do hope that now that the Senate has spoken, NAFDAC and other agencies will see the need to stop further extension of dates to stop this harmful practice. We are saying that by December 2025, this practice should end and there should not be further extension.”
