Civil society group, Stand Up Nigeria, has warned that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)'s planned ban on sachet and small-bottle alcoholic drinks could wipe out N1.9 trillion in industry investments and cost 500,000 Nigerians their jobs.
Recall that NAFDAC has commenced enforcement of senate directive instructing the agency to ban sachet and small-bottle alcoholic drinks.
In reaction, the group condemned the planned ban at a press conference in Abuja, on Wednesday, describing it as undemocratic, economically disastrous and inconsistent with president Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope agenda.
"We read with rude shock, a piece of news item in the print media, broadcast and other media outlets credited to NAFDAC, purportedly placing a ban on the production, distribution and consumption of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small-volume PET/glass bottles (below 200ml) by December 2025. This draconic pronouncement is in sharp contrast to the renewed hope agenda of His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, who rose to power with a people-oriented development blueprint, immediately embarked on total diversification of the nation's economy to make resources available for executing capital projects, as seen in the full deregulation of the Nigerian oil sector downstream," the group said.
The group argued that NAFDAC's action contradicts the administration's economic diversification agenda and ignored stakeholder consensus reached earlier under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Health and the House of Representatives.
Attah alleged that the Senate's resolution was hastily passed at the prompting of NAFDAC, despite ongoing deliberations on the validated National Alcohol Policy, which recommends regulatory reform rather than outright prohibition.
"An arm of government that is ordinarily supposed to represent the interests of all Nigerians, directing NAFDAC to enforce the illegal ban on December 31, 2025, without hearing from the second party. We strongly suspect that the alleged Senate resolutions were passed at the behest of NAFDAC, at its sitting on Thursday, November 6, 2025, without taking cognisance of the ongoing consideration of the same matter by members of the House of Representatives.
"Meanwhile, a directive for one-year extension by the Ministry of Health, a supervising organ of government that is constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of overseeing NAFDAC leading to the consideration and validation of a draft on National Alcohol Policy by stakeholders is still being deliberated upon, which should have been considered before any major official pronouncement by an arm of the government", said Stand up Nigeria.
Additionally, they stated that the directive contradicted the resolutions of a high-powered committee of stakeholders who, in October 2025, validated the National Alcohol Policy with several key recommendations. They stated that the committee's recommendations included developing multi-sectoral action plans and implementing a robust and pragmatic enforcement strategy by law enforcement agencies.
According to the group, the recommendations also proposed the establishment of licensed liquor stores and outlets across Local Government Areas nationwide and enhanced monitoring and surveillance to ensure strict compliance. They further revealed that the committee resolved that NAFDAC, the FCCPC, and other relevant agencies should ensure product content and safety quality assurance.
The group described the directive as economically counterproductive for a government expanding its revenue base to generate more funds for infrastructural development. They warned that if the directive were allowed to stand, it would trigger an economic dislocation of unimaginable proportions across the nation.
They added that the decision would severely affect Nigeria's nascent economy. These include the loss of over N1.9 trillion in investments by indigenous companies, the mass retrenchment of more than 500,000 direct employees, and an estimated five million indirect jobs tied to contractual engagements.
"Marketing and other logistics; reduction in capacity utilisation and manufacturing, which recent quarterly economic indices suggest a gradual upward movement, owing to revenues from the alcoholic industry's contribution to the food and beverages sector; and loss of indigenous businesses that may gradually obliterate local entrepreneurship development in the economy," they stated.
The group called on Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, coordinating minister of Health and Social Welfare, to endorse the validated National Alcohol Policy and ensure inclusive consultations before any enforcement. "This policy, if implemented, will not only cripple local industries but also contradict the very essence of the Renewed Hope agenda," Attah warned.