Labour Warns Senate Against Ban On Alcoholic Beverages, Others

The Organised Labour in the Food and Beverages Sector has warned of the socioeconomic consequences and impending doom following the Senate’s directive to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, to enforce a nationwide ban on alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET/glass bottles below 200 ml by December 31, 2025.

Under the aegis of the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association, FOBTOB expressed concern that the directive could wipe out millions of jobs and cripple indigenous manufacturing firms already struggling under harsh economic conditions.

At a briefing in Lagos, FOBTOB President Jimoh Oyibo said workers across the food and beverage sector are gripped by fear, as the consequences of the ban—if implemented—will be “far-reaching, devastating and irreversible.”

Oyibo recalled that a similar ban imposed by NAFDAC last year was suspended after labour protests and a public hearing convened by the House of Representatives. During that process, all stakeholders—including NAFDAC—made submissions, leading to a directive that the agency should engage manufacturers and review its approach.

He noted that the Ministry of Health subsequently granted a one-year extension to allow stakeholders to develop a comprehensive National Alcohol Policy.

The policy was validated in October 2025, with NAFDAC actively involved.

He said, “It is troubling that the same NAFDAC has now approached the Senate, resulting in a unilateral directive that did not follow due process and did not give stakeholders a fair hearing.”

According to FOBTOB, the ban threatens the livelihoods of more than 500,000 direct workers and five million indirect workers, including farmers, marketers, distributors, and transporters.

The Association also warned that “nearly N2 trillion worth of investments in machinery and raw materials could be lost. Indigenous Nigerian manufacturers risk total collapse, discouraging future investments. Smuggling and the circulation of unregulated alcoholic products may skyrocket, worsening public-health dangers. Government tax revenue could decline sharply as factories shut down or scale back operations.