The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has urged the federal government to cancel directives banning the production and sale of alcoholic drinks in sachets and small PET bottles by December 31, 2025.
MAN’s director-general, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, said in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos that the new directive contradicted earlier progressive alternatives agreed upon by all stakeholders.
“We urge the Senate to reverse the ban on sachet alcoholic beverages and restrain NAFDAC from enforcing it from December 31, 2025,”Mr Ajaayi-Kadir said.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) plans to enforce the ban on sachet alcoholic beverages. It said this aims to curb the increasing misuse of cheap alcoholic drinks among youths and commercial drivers.
Mr Ajayi-Kadir said the claim that minors were abusing the products had been disproved by several independent empirical studies conducted by the government.
He said the industry had, despite the survey findings, launched extensive campaigns promoting responsible consumption and discouraging underage drinking.
Mr Ajayi-Kadir stressed that the latest directive contradicted the existing position of the House of Representatives on the matter.
He warned that the move, which he described as counterproductive, could trigger severe economic disruptions and undermine the nation’s fragile recovery.
Ajayi-Kadir said the ban would result in a loss of over N1.9 trillion in investments, mostly by local firms, and the retrenchment of approximately 500,000 direct workers and five million indirect ones.
He added that it would reduce capacity utilisation in manufacturing, which had only recently begun to improve through the food and beverages sector.
The development, he said, could wipe out local businesses and weaken indigenous entrepreneurship across the economy.
Mr Ajayi-Kadir noted that locally produced sachet alcohol was manufactured under hygienic conditions and certified by regulatory authorities.
He warned that banning such products would encourage the spread of illicit and unregulated alcohol, beyond the control of government agencies, and result in revenue losses.
The MAN DG also said the move could open the market to foreign brands, many of which were smuggled into the country.
“We therefore make a strong appeal for swift approval and implementation of the validated Nigeria National Alcohol Policy and its multi-sectoral framework.
“MAN remains committed to ensuring that members producing sachet alcohol comply with regulations and uphold responsible consumption campaigns,” he said.
(NAN)