Nigeria suspends NAFDAC enforcement on sachet alcohol 

NIGERIA – The Nigeria Federal Government has directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to suspend all enforcement actions connected to the proposed ban on sachet alcohol and 200ml PET bottle alcoholic products. 

The directive also ordered an immediate halt to the sealing of factories and warehouses linked to the enforcement exercise.  

According to a statement issued on February 11 in Abuja, the decision was disclosed by Terrence Kuanum, Special Adviser on Public Affairs to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). 

Kuanum explained that the decision followed a joint intervention by the Office of the SGF and the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), which raised concerns about the security implications of continued enforcement 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 said. 

The statement noted that while the Federal Ministry of Health has signed the National Alcohol Policy in line with a directive from President Bola Tinubu, NAFDAC must refrain from enforcement until the policy’s implementation is completed and further instructions are issued by the federal government. 

The government warned that continued sealing of warehouses and what it described as a de facto ban without a harmonised policy framework were already causing economic disruption.  

It added that such actions were creating security risks due to their impact on jobs, supply chains, and informal distribution networks across the country. 

Kuanum further stated that the directive reinforces an earlier instruction issued by the SGF’s office in December 2025, which had already suspended enforcement actions related to the proposed ban pending consultations and a final government decision. 

According to the statement, the federal government is currently reviewing legislative resolutions, public health considerations, economic implications, and broader national interest factors surrounding the sachet alcohol issue.  

It added that the involvement of the National Security Adviser indicates that the matter has moved beyond regulatory concerns to wider national security considerations. 

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