The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned of the health and social dangers associated with excessive alcohol consumption, linking indiscriminate intake to banditry and other harmful behaviours.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, stated this on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
Adeyeye said excessive alcohol consumption could have serious consequences for vital organs, including the brain, kidneys and liver.
She also explained the agency’s decision to enforce the ban on the production and sale of alcohol in sachets and PET bottles containing less than 200 millilitres.
According to her, the sale of alcohol in sachets and small PET bottles was approved decades ago but later became difficult to control, prompting NAFDAC to take measures to curb its availability.
She said the agency’s decision had attracted resistance from some stakeholders but stressed that protecting the health and future of Nigerian children remained the priority.
“You know, when you are doing something that is right, something that is going to safeguard the health of our people, something that is going to foster trade, you will step on toes and get pushback. We are surprised by the pushback,” Adeyeye said.
She said the issue of sachet alcohol had received significant attention from NAFDAC in recent months, noting that the product was initially approved about 30 years ago.
According to her, the widespread availability of sachet alcohol had subsequently created concerns over its impact on young people and the country’s future workforce.
“But this monster became uncontrollable. This monster stood out to destroy the future of our workforce, of our children,” she said.
Adeyeye said NAFDAC had consequently enforced the ban on sachet alcohol and other alcohol products containing less than 200ml.
She disclosed that the agency had shut down three major companies for three weeks and arrested some individuals as part of enforcement efforts.
“We shut down the three major companies for three weeks and put some people behind bars. That, I believe, is not sitting well, but Nigeria is pleading for our own children. That is why the ban is now in place,” she said.
The NAFDAC boss said manufacturers had also been required to sign undertakings not to produce alcohol in sachets or small bottles below the stipulated volume.
She noted that the policy had continued to face resistance, citing demonstrations in Ibadan even after the National Alcohol Policy was launched by the Federal Ministry of Health.
According to Adeyeye, the policy includes a ban on sachet alcohol and alcohol packaged in PET bottles of less than 200ml.
“They were demonstrating because they are seeing the situation now; they are not seeing into the future that alcohol destroys the brain, it destroys the lungs, it destroys the kidneys, the liver; it encourages banditry,” she added.
