The undercurrent of arguments for and against the plan by the government to ban production, sales and distribution of alcohol in sachets and miniature bottles has made it imperative for the opposing parties to engage more closely with a view to finding a lasting and mutually agreeable resolution. At this period of economic adversity affecting most Nigerians, it is hardly surprising that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) which is spearheading the ban has met with stiff resistance in the camp of labour and manufacturers, which are citing threat to jobs and the economy.

Alcoholism and its attendant health issues which form the bedrock of NAFDAC’s position are no doubt matters that any serious-minded country cannot afford to trivialise, for they can have a lasting negative effect on the populace, notwithstanding the manufacturers’ contention that government’s fear that alcoholism may consume the youth is unverified by any empirical investigation. In the long run, the society, comprising the government and the people, including workers, should work to minimise consumption of alcohol and thus safeguard the health of the citizen. This notion should be the central theme of engagement among the stakeholders.

The agency, back In January 2022 had stopped the registration of alcoholic beverages in sachet and small volume PET and glass bottles below 200ml. The decision, according to the agency, was based on the recommendation of a high-powered committee of the Federal Ministry of Health and NAFDAC, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) as well as the industry, represented by the Association of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), in December 2018.

NAFDAC stated on its website that based on that recommendation, producers agreed to reduce production of alcohol in sachets and small volumes by five per cent with effect from January 31, 2022, towards a final phasing out by January 31, 2024. The agency expressed commitment not to extend the validity of licences in the affected category of products beyond the 2024 date.

NAFDAC reported that people most at risk with easy access to small sizes of alcoholic beverages are the under-aged and operators of commercial vehicles and bikes, who can stash their vehicles’ pigeon holes or pockets with a handful of sachets. NAFDAC cited the World Health Organisation’s report that children who consume alcoholic beverages are more likely to resort to drugs, suffer injuries and engage in harmful sexual behaviour. The WHO had recommended regulation of the alcoholic beverage market to limit access by younger people as an efficient means to limit the dangers, which NAFDAC, in line with the provisions of its establishment Act has stepped out to enforce.

However, concerned Nigerians and sympathisers of Labour are worried that the ban would lead to loss of 500,000 jobs in production, sale and consumption of alcohol in sachets and polyethylene terephthalate bottles. In a joint statement issued by the Food Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association and the National Union of Food Beverages and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) in Lagos, they complained that the new policy would pile more problems on the Nigerian economy as it may lead to eventual shutdown of companies producing sachet alcohol.

“Most of our jobs are at stake”, cried Comrade Emmanuel Idogien, vice chairman, Trade Union of Lagos Council, who added that “many companies will fold up, especially those local industries that serve as raw materials to the producers.”

On its part, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has called for a reversal of the ban, urging NAFDAC to allow a process of legislative hearing by the relevant committee in the National Assembly to interface with stakeholders to expose the facts. MAN is mindful that producers have invested heavily in the business, claiming that a Ministerial Technical Committee set up to look into the matter should be allowed to complete its task.

The manufacturers further suggested the deployment of more access control, including establishment of licensed liquor stores/outlets by local government authorities, requesting customers to prove they’re not under-age by presenting identification cards as is done in other climes.

In all of these, what is indisputable is the fact that a timeline was agreed by stakeholders back in 2018 that alcohol in sachets and miniature bottles will be phased out come 2024, following which NAFDAC stopped issuing licences for new producers in that category in 2022. It is also established by NAFDAC that producers flouted that agreement as they continued to flood the markets with alcohol in sachets and failed to utilise the two-year window between 2022 and 2024 to comply and adjust their production lines, not to mention the earlier recommendation of stakeholders in 2018.

Over the years, NAFDAC and stakeholders have carried out a series of sensitisation and advocacies to schools, markets and motor parks, where these products are openly displayed in affordable and attractive packages. These advocacies have clearly not achieved the purpose of reducing consumption as new brands are introduced, suggesting a boom.

As it is with other products, it is not unlikely that many producers are operating illegally, outside NAFDAC’s control. For this set, outright ban may not achieve an immediate impact, but continuous education will sensitise the market of the sub-standard and harmful nature of those substances. And that task should not be left for NAFDAC alone.

Given the numbers, it is a fact that NAFDAC cannot police all alcohol sales outlets across the country. The management of consumers’ behaviour and enforcing regulations must concern parents and school administrators as well as leadership of road transport unions. With a staff capacity of around 2000, there is a limit to how well and far the agency can go.

Clearly, the proliferation of alcohol production and sales is unhealthy for any society. While supporting age-limit restrictions and more regulations, there is a need for more effective restriction on access and affordability. The effort of NAFDAC to limit access to these harmful substances by the vulnerable young population and itinerant transporters deserve support.

While the argument by Labour and MAN are true, to the extent that the ban might constitute a constriction in the short term; in the long term, it is only a healthy citizenry that can maximise the full advantages of a good and robust economy.

Besides, sachets and pet bottles have become a major environmental hazard in this era of climate change. There is no better time than now to commence the fight to sanitise the Nigerian environment.

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