FG orders NAFDAC to suspend sachet alcohol ban

The Federal Government has ordered the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to suspend all enforcement actions on the proposed ban of sachet alcohol and 200ml PET bottle alcoholic drinks.

The government also directed the agency to immediately stop sealing factories and warehouses linked to the policy, warning that premature enforcement could have negative economic and security implications.

The directive was contained in a statement by Terrence Kuanum, Special Adviser on Public Affairs to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), on Wednesday in Abuja.

Kuanum explained that the order followed a joint intervention by the SGF’s office and the Office of the National Security Adviser, which raised concerns over the risks of enforcing the ban in the absence of a fully implemented National Alcohol Policy.

“Accordingly, all actions, decisions, or enforcement measures relating to the ongoing ban on sachet alcohol are to be suspended pending the final consultations and implementation of the National Alcohol Policy and the issuance of a final directive,” the statement read.

He added that although the policy had been signed by the Federal Ministry of Health under the directive of President Bola Tinubu, NAFDAC must refrain from any action, including factory closures, warehouse sealing, or public enforcement, until the policy is fully operational.

The government said the continued sealing of warehouses and the unofficial ban were already disrupting businesses, threatening jobs, and creating risks to security, particularly in informal distribution networks nationwide.

Kuanum noted that the directive reinforces an earlier SGF order in December 2025, which suspended enforcement of the proposed ban pending consultations and a final decision. The government is also reviewing legislative resolutions and public health considerations, as well as the economic and national interest implications of the policy.