The Senate has drawn a firm line against sachet alcohol, directing the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to end its production and sale by December 2025.

The lawmakers warned that the cheap, high-alcohol beverages — sold in sachets and small bottles – are wreaking havoc on young Nigerians, fuelling addiction, violence, and road accidents across the federation.

The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South), who urged the upper legislative 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, adding: “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.” 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.

In his closing remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended the unanimous stance, describing it as “a moral and patriotic stand to protect Nigeria’s future.”