From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has insisted that it only ban the packaging of alcohol in sachet and mini bottles, not the ones packaged in bigger bottles.
NAFDAC in a statement by Sayo Akintola, Resident Media Consultant, on Tuesday, expressed surprised at the sudden decision of the producers of the alcohol products to reject the decision they were part of in 2018.
He recalled that in 2018, the Association of Food, Beverage & Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) and Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) signed an agreement with Federal Ministry of Health, NAFDAC and Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), that they would phase out production of alcohol in sachet and pet bottles less than 200 ml by January 31, 2024.
“The agreement document is still available. A five year phase out notice should be sufficient. Nigeria was one of the 193 Member States of WHO that reached an historical consensus on a global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol by adopted resolution WHA63.13 at the 63rd session of the World Health Assembly, held in Geneva in 2010.”
Last week, a Civil Right Group, Concerned Citizens of Nigeria (CCN), staged a peaceful protest in Abuja, to register their displeasure with the decision of NAFDAC and FCCPC, to enforce the ban of production of alcohol in sachets and mini bottles.
The Convener, Comrade Peter Harry, told journalists at the protest ground in Abuja, that they are concerned by the negative effect of the decision of NAFDAC and FCCPC on the economy of Nigeria, job losses along the value chain, fate of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and consumers too.
He appealed to the relevant authorities, particularly the NAFDAC and FCCPC, to heed the advice of the National Assembly to suspend decision on the ban till further notice.
He, however, confirmed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Federal Ministry of Health, NAFDAC, FCCPC, AFBTE, and DABAN, in 2018, to quit the packaging of high strength alcohol in sachets and small volume pets, with effect from 31st of January, 2024, but their findings indicated that the agreement was signed under duress, hence it should be disregarded.