The Senate has instructed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and other relevant regulatory bodies to strictly enforce the ban on packaging high-strength alcoholic beverages in sachet form, effective from December 2025.
Lawmakers also resolved that no further extensions would be permitted beyond the current moratorium.
This decision followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong, who called for an immediate halt to any further extension of the phase-out of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets.
During the plenary debate, Senator Ekpeyong reminded the chamber that NAFDAC, in accordance with international best practices and after wide consultation with industry stakeholders, had introduced a phased ban on the importation, manufacture, and distribution of alcohol sold in sachet packaging.
He recalled that in 2018, stakeholders — including the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), NAFDAC, and industry associations 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).
The agreement committed all parties to gradually phase out sachet-packaged alcoholic drinks, citing growing health and social concerns over their affordability, portability, and accessibility, especially among children, teenagers, commercial drivers, and other vulnerable groups.
Senator Ekpeyong noted that although the initial phase-out deadline had passed, the Federal Government granted manufacturers an additional one-year moratorium in 2024 to allow them to deplete existing stock and switch to compliant packaging, extending the final deadline to December 2025.
However, he expressed concern that as the deadline draws nearer, some manufacturers are lobbying for yet another extension — a move he said weakens regulatory authority, endangers public health, and distorts fair competition in the industry.
He warned that the continued production of high-strength alcoholic drinks in sachet formats contributes to youth addiction, road accidents, school dropouts, domestic violence, and other social problems.
After brief deliberations, the Senate also directed the Federal Ministry of Health to remove any barriers hindering NAFDAC from executing its enforcement duties.
Additionally, lawmakers urged the Ministry to hasten the release of the National Alcohol Policy, which should clearly outlaw sachet packaging of high-strength alcoholic drinks and promote coordinated public awareness campaigns.