*Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, restates the ban on importation, manufacture, distribution, sale, and use of alcoholic beverages in sachets, PET, and glass bottles of 200ml and below is to save lives of Nigerian consumers and commuters

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Sequel to its recent ban on sachet alcoholic drinks among others, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has insisted there is no going back on the regulatory matter.

绿帽献妻 reports the agency had restated the policy decision to ban the importation, manufacture, distribution, sale, and use of alcoholic beverages in sachets, PET, and glass bottles of 200ml and below in Nigeria.

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General NAFDAC, Monday, February 11, insisted that the ban was for the benefit of Nigerians and to save lives.

Earlier, the Director-General had announced January 31 this year, that NAFDAC would begin the enforcement of the ban on sachet alcoholic beverages.

However, the move has reportedly generated repeated protests by distillers and Labour unions, who said the regulatory directive would cost 500,000 workers their jobs in the West African country.

In regard to likely review of the move to prohibit the sale and use of the sachet alcoholic beverages, Christiana Obiazikwor, Head of Public Relations at NAFDAC, stressed the ban would remain on force, according to report.

NAFDAC hasn’t banned production of alcohol in bottles, but sachets: Spokesperson

Obiazikwor also clarified that NAFDAC did not ban alcohol production in bigger bottles, but alcohol in containers or packing that a child can easily conceal.

She said: “The alcoholic content in sachet or PET bottles less than 200ml is 30 per cent.

“Beer has four to eight percent alcohol. The Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers, and Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria signed an agreement with the Ministry of Health and NAFDAC in December 2018 that they will phase out production of alcohol in sachet and PET bottles less than 200 ml by January 31, 2024.

“The agreement document is available.听 A five-year phase-out notice should be sufficient.”

The NAFDAC Head of Public Relations further noted: “They say it鈥檚 going to lead to loss of jobs, but it can lead to loss of lives as well.

“So, which is more important? We are not going back (on the ban). We are doing this to save the lives of Nigerians, and commuters.”

The Spokesperson further stated: “The schoolchildren buy and put them in their bags. So, we are doing it to protect the children because they can鈥檛 take responsibility for themselves.

“The leaders and adults need to take responsibility for them. Are we going to kill our children because the economy is bad?鈥�

However, in reaction to the agency’s explanation, John Ichue, Executive Secretary of the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria, has insisted that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with NAFDAC in respect of the the ban, in 2018, could not be taken as a policy document.

Ichue said, 鈥淭he MoU that we signed in 2018 was not really a policy and it was signed under duress because the then Minister of Health attempted to ban the manufacturing of pet alcoholic drinks but he later allowed us to engage in sensitisation effort to encourage responsible drinking and discourage underage access to these drinks, which we have been doing since 2019.

鈥淭he MOU is not a policy; the government is currently working on a national alcohol policy which we all agree is the proper way to go. In most countries where a ban on sachet alcohol was implemented, it was not successful. It led to illicit alcohol in circulation.鈥�

Drug hawkers, touts mob NAFDAC officials

Against the backdrop of the agency’s latest regulation on banning on sachet alcoholic drinks, angry drug hawkers and touts Monday, attacked members of NAFDAC鈥檚听 Investigation and Enforcement Directorate and mobile policemen attached to them in Abuja, FCT.

It was gathered the enforcement team of the agency was on a raid of fake, unregistered and counterfeit drugs in Area One motor park area of the FCT.

As the enforcement exercise was in progress, the hawkers and touts at the park began to throw stones and other dangerous objects at the team and reporters who were on hand to monitor the exercise.

Amid the confusing atmosphere, the mobile police intervened and threw tear gas canisters and shot sporadically into the air to disperse the mob, and the enforcement team as well as news reporters later escaped from the rowdy scene, according to report.

However, two of the vehicles belonging to NAFDAC were vandalised in the process.

Following the enforcement raid on the hawkers at touts at the park, Umar Suleiman, Assistant Chief Regulatory Officer, Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, Federal Task Force at NAFDAC, told reporters that the exercise followed intelligence from the Department of State Services (DSS) on the activities of drug hawkers at the Area One motor park.

鈥淭his exercise that we just conducted at the Area 1 motor park was a result of intelligence we received from the DSS since last year.

“A lot of hawkers were there selling their products and many people patronising them and that was why we raided the park,” said Suleiman.

He further explained: “The attack is a normal thing for us in the investigation and enforcement department.

“That is the reason we always go with armed Mopol (Policeman) and Investigating Police Officers in case of any arrest.”

The Assistant Chief Regulatory Officer, Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, Federal Task Force of the agency said: “But to my surprise, we had not done half of the work when the drug hawkers absconded, but mobilised in full force against us, throwing stones at us and destroying the windscreens of the vehicles.鈥�

According to Suleiman, NAFDAC officials were able to seize controlled drugs worth about N5million.

The top official of the health regulatory agency also listed the seized medications to include Rohypnol, Dizapam, Tramadol (500mg and 225mg), Cocodamol and aphrodisiac, among others.

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