•Say Manufacturers Contribute N2trn To Economy
Members of the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria, on Friday, staged a protest to the Lagos office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), demanding policy reversal on the ban of sachet alcoholic drinks, because such development could weaken the Federal Government’s efforts aimed at economic recovery, especially in strengthening indigenous companies.

The protesters, who were joined by members of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), carried different placards with various inscriptions highlighting their concerns.

Some of the inscriptions read: ‘No empirical evidence of underage abuse of alcoholic drinks in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml’; ‘We respectively urge Mr President to act decisively to safeguard indigenous industries, protect jobs and ensure that regulatory agencies serve the Nigerian people and not external interests.’

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, the Executive Secretary, Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB), Comrade Solomon Adebosin, described the closure of companies producing sachet alcoholic drinks and less-than-200ml PET bottles as unjustified and harmful to the economy.

He noted that one of the claims by NAFDAC that the sachet alcoholic drinks are easily accessible to minors lack empirical evidence, stressing that the unions have invested heavily in advocacy campaigns to discourage underage drinking and educate young people on the dangers of alcohol consumption.

He further clarified that the drinks are produced and sold in sachets mainly for affordability by adults, adding that anyone below 18 years is not allowed to drink or even be sent to get it.

He warned that banning sachet alcohol would have severe economic consequences, affecting about 5.5 million jobs, both directly and indirectly, across the value chain, including packaging, logistics, printing, and distribution.

Head of Department in charge of the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Junior Staff Association (FOBTOB), Azeez Rasaq, alleged that the policy is being influenced by external forces, urging President Bola Tinubu to prevail on the matter to restore the hope of manufacturers in the distillery industry.

He urged the government to consider the implications of such a decision, arguing that the policy could deepen poverty and worsen hardship among the workers.

Rasaq also rejected claims linking sachet alcohol to road accidents involving truck drivers, saying such cases are not frequent and justifiable.

The Ogun State Chairman of FOBTOB, Comrade Godwin Ahoh, also appealed for urgent intervention to stop NAFDAC from sealing their offices, stating that indigenous manufacturers have invested over N2 trillion in the country’s economy.