By Augustine Aminu
The Food Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has called for the suspension of the ban on alcoholic beverages in sachets by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on February 1, 2024, commenced the enforcement of the ban on alcoholic beverages in sachets, PET, and glass bottles of 200ml and below.
FOBTOB National President, Comrade Jimoh Oyibo, during a protest on Wednesday at the NAFDAC headquarters said the ban has led to the closure of some companies including the largest distilling and blending company in Nigeria, IDL.
Oyibo who led the protest said the ban will lead to massive job loss, loss of investment, and loss of revenue for the government.
He said, “Our Association considers the NAFDAC action as a willful and deliberate economic sabotage as the implementation is coming at a time when the economy is on a downward spiral.”
Oyibo said the ban is ill-timed and ill- advised, adding that the Nigerian government should rather support businesses to stay afloat in this period of harsh economic environment which has led many companies to close down.
He said further, “It is instructive to state that workers in these companies pay various forms of taxes to the government at different levels while the companies in the sector also contribute significantly to the economy through job creation and taxes.”
“The sector is a chain from the producer to the major marketers, distributors, and retailers. The impact on the families of millions of Nigerians who are dependent on these workers is indescribable.
“Another effect is that it will promote smuggling as unscrupulous elements will leverage this ban to flood the market with dangerous adulterated products given the porosity of our borders”, he added.
He urged NAFDAG to concentrate on working with the relevant government agencies to prevent and confiscate smuggled products that have found their way to the Nigerian market via unguarded entry points.
