The combined forces of the Food Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FBTSSA) and the National Union of Food Beverages and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) have voiced their apprehensions regarding the government’s prohibition on sachet alcohol.
According to a joint press release issued on Tuesday, this regulatory measure places approximately 500,000 jobs at risk.
- The unions articulated their distress, saying: “This singular action (the ban) has sent over 500,000 breadwinners out of jobs and into the oversaturated Nigerian labour market.”
They further criticised the policy for exacerbating the nation’s economic challenges, potentially catalysing the closure of businesses producing these beverages.
Protest ban
In a spirited response to this ban, Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DBAN) members congregated at the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) headquarters in Oshodi, Lagos, to express their dissent.
During the protest, Idogen Emmanuel, the Vice Chairman of the Lagos Chapter of the Trade Union Congress, articulated the industry’s challenges, highlighting the adverse impacts of recent policy changes, including the ban and the broader economic difficulties faced by manufacturers due to the removal of fuel subsidies and currency fluctuations.
Emmanuel criticised NAFDAC’s actions as detrimental to the workforce, particularly in light of the harsh economic climate, and called for reconsidering the ban.
He suggested that instead of outright closures, a dialogue should be initiated to explore viable solutions, emphasising the industry’s willingness to enhance public awareness regarding the age restrictions on alcohol sales.
Emmanuel said:
- “Last Thursday, NAFDAC moved to go and seal up all our companies producing sachet drinks, forgetting that the economy is so tense and harsh, and they want to throw millions of persons back into the labor market. The excuse of NAFDAC is that small children consume these sachet drinks, but it is boldly written on all our sachet drinks that it is meant for persons aged 18 and above.
- “We are battling with the hardship of the fuel subsidy removal and dollar floating as manufacturers and now the government just decided to seal up companies because they said small children are consuming it (alcohol). It is an aberration.
- “We are appealing to NAFDAC to reopen these companies so that we can come to a round table and look for a way forward. If they feel that we are not doing enough to sensitise the public, retailers and wholesalers on the need for them not to sell to children, we are ready to do more but it is wrong to close the companies at this time that the economy of the nation is unstable.”
More Insights
- This protest was triggered by an announcement from NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, which detailed the commencement of stringent enforcement against the import, production, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets, PET, and tiny glass bottles (200ml and below).
- This move follows an earlier decision in January 2022 to halt the registration of such products, aiming to curb the availability of alcohol in easily accessible formats.
- Prof Adeyeye referenced a collaborative directive from December 2018 involving NAFDAC, the Federal Ministry of Health, and various industry stakeholders, which sought to limit the registration of new alcoholic products in these small packaging forms.
- As the situation unfolds, NAFDAC has commenced enforcing this ban, with several factories already shut down for violating the new regulations against sachet alcoholic beverages.
- This action represents a significant pivot in Nigeria’s approach to regulating alcohol consumption, with wide-reaching implications for the nation’s economy and social fabric.
Banning of sachet alcoholic drinks is long overdue, we cannot continue to lose people to accident daily due to over intoxicated vehicle drivers and okada riders. We have wasted enough souls, excuse of the union losing 500,000 workes does not hold water. Allowing further use of sachet alcoholic drinks is openly legalizing taking of drugs on the street and destroying the future of our youth.