Kelvin Bowoto
The House of Representatives has voted to suspend the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control‘s (NAFDAC) ban on sachet alcoholic and 200-ml PET bottles.
This came after the House Committee on NAFDAC, chaired by Hon. Regina Akume, the member representing the Gboko/Tarka Federal Constituency, considered and approved the report in plenary on Thursday.
On February 7, the House directed the Akume-led NAFDAC Committee to look into the reasons for and circumstances behind the agency’s prohibition on the production of alcoholic beverages in sachets and tiny bottles in Nigeria.
According to the Committee’s findings, the prohibition should be abolished since the timing is improper, given that the economy is struggling, the unemployment rate is skyrocketing, and inflation is growing, all while poverty is rising due to a lack of forex to conduct business.
The Committee suggested that the ban on sachet alcohol be replaced with prescribed restrictions and access control measures, such as the establishment of licensed liquor stores and outlets in local government areas throughout the country.
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Other measures proposed by the Committee include making it illegal to send minors to purchase alcoholic beverages, tightening enforcement by law enforcement agencies, and increasing monitoring and compliance checks by NAFDAC, FCCPC, and others to ensure strict product quality in terms of content and safety.
The panel also proposed that sachet alcohol producers reveal the dangers associated with the abuse of alcohol sachet goods by boldly inscribing and enumerating the dangers on the packs, as was done with tobacco.
“Government regulatory agencies should place a greater emphasis on regulation, monitoring, and education campaigns to educate stakeholders and the general public about the dangers of underage alcohol consumption and its sale in auto parks.
“To educate students about the dangers and vices linked with alcohol misuse, an enlightenment campaign should be implemented in secondary schools across the country, as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has done.
“Parents, religious groups, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should be tasked with counseling their children or wards, particularly the underage, on the dangers of alcohol drinking.
“Regulatory mechanisms should be strengthened to ensure enforcement and compliance, as should encouraging legislation promoting recycling materials for the green economy and minimizing importation of raw materials used in producing PET bottles and sachets to conserve foreign exchange (FOREX),” the authors of the report said.
Techrectory with Agency Report.
