The Federal Government has directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to suspend all enforcement actions related to the proposed ban on sachet alcohol and 200-millilitre PET bottle alcoholic drinks.
It also ordered the agency to immediately stop sealing factories and warehouses linked to the policy, warning that premature enforcement could have negative economic and security consequences.
The directive was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja by the Special Adviser on Public Affairs to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Terrence Kuanum.
Kuanum said the decision followed a joint intervention by the Office of the SGF and the Office of the National Security Adviser.
“Accordingly, all actions, decisions, or enforcement measures relating to the ongoing ban on sachet alcohol are to be suspended pending the final consultations and implementation of the National Alcohol Policy and the issuance of a final directive,” the statement said.
He explained that although the policy had been approved by the Federal Ministry of Health under the directive of President Bola Tinubu, NAFDAC must refrain from any enforcement action, including factory closures, warehouse sealing, or public enforcement, until the policy becomes fully operational.
According to the statement, the continued sealing of warehouses and what it described as a “de facto ban” on sachet alcohol products, without a harmonised policy framework, had begun to cause economic disruptions and posed security risks, particularly due to its impact on jobs, supply chains and informal distribution networks.
Kuanum noted that the latest directive reinforced an earlier instruction issued by the SGF’s office in December 2025, which suspended all actions relating to the proposed ban pending consultations and a final decision.
The Federal Government assured Nigerians and industry stakeholders that a final decision would be communicated after consultations and inter-agency coordination, in the interest of public health and economic stability.