Senate Moves to End Sachet Alcohol by December 2025

***Lawmakers say cheap sachet drinks fueling youth addiction, social decay

The Senate has mandated the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to stop the production and sale of sachet-packaged alcoholic beverages by December 2025.
Lawmakers expressed concern that the widespread sale of low-cost, high-alcohol beverages in sachets and small bottles is posing serious public health and safety risks, particularly among the youth.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South), who urged the upper chamber to halt any further delay in enforcing the ban.
Ekpenyong lamented that despite repeated promises, NAFDAC had shifted the phase-out deadline several times under pressure from manufacturers. He said any further extension would “betray public trust” and undermine Nigeria’s obligations to protect public health.
“Packaging alcohol in sachets makes it as easy to consume as sweets, even for children,” he said. “It destroys futures, fuels domestic violence, and endangers lives daily on our roads.”
The motion received broad bipartisan support, with senators warning that sachet alcohol had become a silent epidemic in schools, markets, and motor parks.
Senator Anthony Ani (Ebonyi South) described the proliferation of cheap, potent drinks as “a slow poison spreading among the youth.”
“Every day we delay enforcement, more young Nigerians sink into addiction and despair,” he said.
Presiding over the session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the matter was both urgent and moral, declaring that the chamber’s decision was a “life-saving intervention.”
“This is not just policy — it’s about protecting our people. By December 2025, sachet alcohol must become history,” he said.
The Senate’s position reflects growing concern over the health and social consequences of unregulated sachet alcohol. Many of the products, lawmakers noted, contain dangerously high alcohol content and are sold cheaply enough for minors to buy with pocket change.
Nigeria had, in 2018, signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NAFDAC, the Federal Ministry of Health, and industry associations to phase out the products by 2023. The deadline was later extended to 2025 to allow producers time to adjust manufacturing processes.
However, senators expressed outrage that some companies were still lobbying for more extensions, calling it an assault on regulatory authority and a threat to national well-being.
Citing Section 17(3)(f) of the 1999 Constitution, which compels government to protect children and the aged from exploitation, the Senate reaffirmed its commitment to safeguard public morality and health. It also invoked the World Health Organization’s Alcohol Harm Reduction Framework, which discourages small, easily accessible alcohol packaging.
The chamber directed NAFDAC and the Federal Ministry of Health to begin immediate enforcement of the phase-out and to reject any fresh appeals from manufacturers. It also urged the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to embark on nationwide public awareness campaigns about the dangers of sachet-packaged alcohol.
Lawmakers further called for the prompt release of the National Alcohol Policy, which formally bans the packaging of high-strength drinks in small volumes.
In his closing remarks, Akpabio commended the Senate’s unanimous stance, describing it as “a moral and patriotic stand to protect Nigeria’s future.”
“This is about saving lives and protecting our youth,” he said. “The era of sachet alcohol is coming to an end — for the health, safety, and sanity of our nation.”