The Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) has expressed deep concern over the renewed enforcement of the ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small PET bottles by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), describing the move as ill-timed, economically damaging, and inconsistent with established government directives.
In a statement signed by its Director-General, Mr. Wale-Smatt Oyerinde, NECA said the enforcement represents a serious regulatory lapse that undermines due process, weakens investor confidence, and threatens thousands of jobs across Nigeria’s formal economy.
According to NECA, the action directly contradicts a directive issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) on December 15, 2025, which suspended the implementation of the ban pending further consultations. The association also noted that the renewed enforcement disregards a resolution of the House of Representatives dated March 14, 2024, which urged regulatory restraint and called for broader engagement with stakeholders across the value chain.
NECA warned that the continued enforcement is already disrupting legitimate businesses, stalling ongoing investments, and unsettling the regulatory environment at a time when Nigeria urgently needs policy stability to attract and retain both domestic and foreign investment.
While affirming its strong support for public health protection, responsible consumption, and the safeguarding of minors, NECA stressed that the current approach is fundamentally flawed. The association argued that it disproportionately penalises compliant, regulated manufacturers while failing to address the underlying causes of underage access to alcohol and the wider problem of illicit substance abuse.
Mr. Oyerinde emphasised that effective regulation must be grounded in evidence, proportionality, and the rule of law. He described it as unacceptable to criminalise products that have undergone rigorous scientific testing, registration, and periodic revalidation under NAFDAC’s own regulatory framework, while leaving more dangerous unregulated substances largely unchecked.
He explained that alcohol content is measured globally using Alcohol by Volume (ABV), and the products being targeted fall within internationally recognised ranges for spirits. Their alcohol strength is clearly labelled and compliant with Nigeria’s existing regulations. According to NECA, reclassifying such products as inherently dangerous without presenting new, transparent scientific evidence raises serious concerns about regulatory consistency, predictability, and fairness.
On the issue of underage drinking, NECA maintained that access control is fundamentally an enforcement failure rather than a packaging issue. Alcoholic beverages already carry prominent warnings indicating they are not for persons under the age of 18 and should be consumed responsibly. Where minors gain access, the association said, the lapse lies in weak monitoring of retail outlets and poor enforcement of age restrictions.
NECA called for stricter licensing regimes, routine compliance inspections, and meaningful sanctions for erring retailers, rather than the elimination of packaging formats that serve adult consumers lawfully.
The association further noted that sachet and small-pack formats reflect economic realities in Nigeria, where many adult consumers make low-value, daily purchases. Eliminating these formats, NECA warned, will not eliminate demand but instead risks driving consumers toward informal and unregulated alternatives, thereby increasing public health risks and shrinking the formal economy.
NECA also expressed concern over what it described as a misalignment of enforcement priorities. While regulatory pressure is being concentrated on a compliant segment of the beverage industry, the country continues to grapple with the widespread circulation of illicit narcotics, abused pharmaceuticals, and unregistered alcoholic products, particularly among young people.
Highlighting the broader economic implications, NECA said the wines and spirits value chain supports extensive direct and indirect employment across manufacturing, packaging, logistics, distribution, retail, hospitality, and agriculture. In the current environment of rising operating costs, currency volatility, and weakened consumer purchasing power, sudden regulatory shocks of this magnitude threaten livelihoods, reduce government revenue, and undermine confidence in Nigeria’s policy environment.
On environmental concerns related to plastic waste, NECA acknowledged the legitimacy of sustainability challenges but cautioned against conflating waste management failures with product safety regulation. The association advocated improved waste management systems, expanded recycling infrastructure, and effective extended producer responsibility frameworks that apply across sectors rather than selective product bans.
NECA reiterated that the organised private sector is not opposed to regulation. On the contrary, it supports strict, science-based rules that protect consumers and ensure product quality. What employers reject, the association said, are regulatory actions driven by sentiment, selective enforcement, and disregard for economic consequences and due process.
The association therefore called for the immediate suspension of the ongoing enforcement actions in line with the Federal Government’s earlier directive and urged a return to structured, evidence-based engagement among regulators, industry operators, public health experts, and consumer representatives.
According to NECA, policy efforts should prioritise stronger retail-level enforcement to prevent underage access, expanded public education on responsible consumption, intensified action against illicit drugs and unregistered alcohol, and the development of practical environmental solutions through collaboration rather than prohibition.
NECA concluded that Nigeria requires regulation that protects public health while preserving jobs, investment, and respect for the rule of law, warning that policies divorced from science, economic realities, and regulatory coherence risk doing more harm than good.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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