The Federal Government has directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to immediately suspend all enforcement actions related to the ban on sachet alcohol and 200ml PET bottle products.
The directive followed a joint intervention by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), which raised concerns about the potential economic and security implications of enforcing the ban.
In a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Public Affairs to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Terrence Kuanum, the government warned that continued enforcement without a fully implemented National Alcohol Policy could destabilise communities, increase unemployment, and create avoidable security risks.
The government clarified that although the National Alcohol Policy has been approved by the Federal Ministry of Health under the directive of President Bola Tinubu, NAFDAC must refrain from sealing factories or warehouses until the policy is fully operationalised.
It noted that the current enforcement measures, including the sealing of warehouses and restriction of sachet alcohol products, were already causing economic disruptions affecting employment, supply chains, and informal distribution networks nationwide.
The statement also disclosed that the decision followed correspondence from the House of Representatives Committee on Food and Drugs Administration and Control, dated November 13, 2025. The letter, signed by Deputy Chairman Uchenna Harris Okonkwo, referenced existing National Assembly resolutions cautioning against the implementation of the ban.
The Federal Government reaffirmed an earlier suspension issued in December 2025 and stressed the need to review legislative, public health, and economic considerations before reaching a final decision.
It directed that all actions and enforcement measures related to the ban remain suspended pending further consultations and the full implementation of the National Alcohol Policy.
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