Reversal of ban on sachet alcohol endangers public health, children — ACPN

The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) says the Federal Government’s reversal of the ban on sachet and small-volume alcohol, is a setback to national public health goals.

ACPN National Chairman, Mr Ambrose Ezeh, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, describing the policy somersault as “a troubling setback for public health regulation in the country.”

Our correspondent reports that the Federal Government had on Feb. 11, directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to suspend enforcement actions on the proposed ban.

It also ordered the agency to stop sealing factories and warehouses over the sachet-alcohol issue.

The directive was issued by Terrence Kuanum, Special Adviser on Public Affairs, to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

Kuanum had stated that the suspension followed a joint intervention by the SGF’s Office and the Office of the National Security Adviser, which cited security concerns, arising from continued enforcement.

However, Ezeh said the original directive issued by NAFDAC was anchored on evidence-based harm-reduction principles and child-protection priorities.

He said its nullification raised serious concerns about regulatory consistency and national governance priorities.

He recalled that in December 2018, NAFDAC, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) signed a five-year agreement with industry operators.

The agreement aimed to phase out sachet and small-volume alcohol packaging by Jan. 31, 2024.

The timeline was later extended to December 2025 to help manufacturers exhaust stock, adjust supply chains and upgrade production systems without disruption.

Ezeh said the public health justification for the ban remained strong and rooted in empirical evidence.

He said alcohol misuse accounts for about 29 per cent of preventable deaths in Nigeria and nearly half of all road traffic accidents.

He added that more than 60,000 deaths in 2016 alone were linked to alcohol-related causes, including liver disease, alcohol-induced cancers and fatal crashes.

According to him, the figures show that alcohol misuse is a national public health emergency requiring firm regulatory action.

He identified sachet alcohol as a major driver of harm because it increased access, affordability and concealment of alcohol, among vulnerable groups.

Ezeh, said studies showed that many minors, independently procured alcohol, preferring sachets and sub-200ml bottles because, they were cheap, portable and easily hidden.

According to him, instead of supporting a regulation built on harm reduction and child protection, industry actors intensifies lobbying efforts.

He said such lobbying reframed the debate around affordability and moderated consumption, placing commercial interests above public health.

Ezeh described the industry’s stance as a distressing erosion of corporate social responsibility, especially regarding vulnerable youths.

“The prohibition of sachet alcohol should not be treated as a symbolic regulatory exercise.

“It represents a substantive policy statement that Nigeria will not trade the health and future of its children, for short-term fiscal or commercial gains,” he said.

He said public health cost–benefit analysed consistently, showed that long-term social and economic burdens of alcohol misuse, far outweighed temporary industry gains.

According to him, the case against sachet alcohol is straightforward because the packaging encourages easy access and concealment by minors.

He added that any meaningful policy review must prioritised child safety, regulatory integrity and evidence-based prevention.

The ACPN national chairman warned that relying only on warning labels and age restrictions without supply-side controls, would reduce compliance to a hollow exercise.

Ezeh said the reversal reflected broader enforcement weaknesses, including failure to eliminate open drug markets, that distributed counterfeit and substandard medicines.

He said such inconsistencies undermined institutional credibility and weakened public trust in regulatory bodies.

“Nigeria now stands at a critical policy crossroads and when the choice lies between safeguarding public health and preserving profit margins, the ethical calculus should be unequivocal.

“Protecting children, strengthening regulatory governance and upholding evidence-based public policy must remain paramount,” he stated.