After days of protests across the country, the House of Representatives Committee on National Agency on Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) headed by Regina Akume, has ordered the suspension of the ban imposed by NAFDAC on the sale of spirits and alcoholic drinks in sachets and pet bottles pending the outcome of its investigation on the matter.
The House Commitee made this decision known after its public hearing on the NAFDAC ban on Thursday at the National Assembly Complex where the House Commitee members, including the Chairperson, Regina Akume; Deputy Chairman, Idu Obiajulu; Minister of State for Health, Tunji Alausa; NAFDAC DG, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye; DG of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadir, representatives of the Food, Beverage & Tobacco Employers and Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria; representatives of the spirits and alcoholic drinks producers; officials of the Nigerian Police Force; Customs and Excise; Federal Road Safety Corps; organised labour and the civil society were present.
After hearing the NAFDAC DG who claimed that the ban was imposed to protect the health and welfare of children, youths and other vulnerable groups, the House Commitee aligned itself with the views of the producers, civil society and organised labour that the unemployment and hardship being occasioned by the closure of factories as a result of the ban far outweighed the health concerns of NAFDAC.
The House members also observed that the proper step is to put access control procedures in place to prevent children and youths from consuming the alcoholic contents of the sachet and pet bottles.
With this in mind, the House Commitee moved for the suspension of the NAFDAC ban pending the outcome of its investigation and duly adjourned its proceedings sine die.
In the last two weeks, there had been protests by stakeholders in several cities, including NAFDAC headquarters office in Abuja, NAFDAC office in Lagos, factory site of some of the alcohol firms in Ota, Ogun State and other locations decrying the ban with placards that had inscriptions such as ‘Let poor Nigerians breathe’, ‘Let beverage workers breathe’, ‘Save our jobs’, amongst others, insisting that the ban has no health implications but rather would have a negative impact on the economy with over 500,000 job loss.
