The Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), has warned that 5.5 million direct and indirect workers will lose their jobs if the ban on the production and sale of sachet and PET bottle alcohol by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
In an open letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu by the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), a sub-sector under the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the group also revealed that investments worth over N1.2 trillion will be lost.
Earlier this month, NAFDAC announced a ban on the production of alcohol in sachets and pet bottles of less than 200ml.
Kazeem Adeniran, NAFDAC assistant chief regulation officer, investigation and enforcement, said the ban was in line with the agreement reached by a tripartite committee set up in 2018 by the federal ministry of health
The ban, implemented on January 31, 2024, cited concerns about the packaging of alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles contributing to increased alcohol use among underage individuals and linking it to the use of hard drugs.
However, DIBAN contested these claims, stating that there is no legal or moral justification for an outright ban.
The association argued that alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles are not produced with hard drugs, and there is no evidence from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency supporting the allegations.
