The Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced the ban on alcoholic beverages that are produced in sachets and pet bottles less than 200ml.
The ban was announced through the federal government regulating agency, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
NAFDAC disclosed that the five-year window given to the manufacturers started in 2019 and ended on January 1, 2024.
The director-general of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, added that the agency had commenced the enforcement of the ban on February 1, 2024.
Speaking on the development in Abuja on Monday, February 5, Adeyeye noted that the ban was not a sudden development but a result of a multilateral Committee that agreed that the ban would be in phases whereby production would be reduced by 50 per cent by 2020 while outright ban would be on January 31, 2024.
The NAFDAC DG noted that the agency did not issue a renewal licence beyond January 2024 to any company producing the drinks in sachets.
According to her, the agency took the route of wiping out the drinks in such sachets because of the negative effects on underage children.
She said because the drinks come in pocket-friendly sizes, accessible and affordable, children easily fell for the packages only to face the consequences in the future.
“These companies were still producing those alcohols below 200ml at the time we carried out this enforcement exercise, which is not supposed to be.
“It is clearly stated after the meeting in 2018 that they should stop the production of such alcohol in sachets and pet bottles by 2024 and embark on production of alcohol above 200ml,” she said.
Meanwhile, NAFDAC has issued a public alert regarding the sale of a falsified brand of Chloroquine Phosphate tablets.
The counterfeit product was discovered and purchased from an informal dispensary in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
Upon conducting TLC screening on the tablets, it was revealed that the product contains no active pharmaceutical ingredient (API).
Despite carrying the NAFDAC registration number 04-8769, it should be emphasized that the product is not registered by NAFDAC and is not listed in the NAFDAC database of registered products.
While the falsified product may have already been distributed to various parts of the country through both legal and illegal channels, NAFDAC is taking swift action to detect and remove it from circulation.
The agency has directed all state offices to conduct surveillance and recall all batches of the violating product.
NAFDAC urges importers, distributors, retailers, and healthcare providers to exercise caution and vigilance within the supply chain.
The agency urged Nigerians to source all medicinal products from authorized and licensed suppliers, with a thorough check of authenticity and physical condition.
Members of the public in possession of the mentioned product are advised to discontinue its sale or use and submit the stock to the nearest NAFDAC office.
The agency has warned that it is not vital to use this substandard product.
In case you or someone you know has used the product or experienced any adverse reaction or event after use, immediate medical advice from a qualified healthcare professional is recommended.
Healthcare professionals and consumers are encouraged to report any suspicions of substandard and falsified medicines to the nearest NAFDAC office or contact NAFDAC.
