Trouble Looms As Nigerians Protest Over Ban On Sachet Drinks
Hundreds of workers in the food, beverage and tobacco sector took to the streets of Lagos on Tuesday to cry out over the huge number of jobs that will be lost in the coming days as a result of the ban on sachet alcoholic drinks by the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control.
Agitating under the umbrella of the Food Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association and National Union of Food Beverages and Tobacco Employees, the workers, who displayed various placards and sang songs of solidarity in front of the Lagos office of NAFDAC, said that the move by the government agency had crippled the sector and led to huge economic losses for their employers.
According to the demonstrators, rather than an outright ban on sachet alcoholic beverages, NAFDAC could come up with better regulatory and quality control policies that will put things under check.
The agitators also argued that the move by NAFDAC will give more room to counterfeiters to run riot, thereby putting the health of Nigerians at risk.
In a statement released after the protest, Vice Chairman, Lagos Council of NUFBTE, Comrade Emmanuel Idogien, said the impact of the policy on families and economy in general will be severe if not properly checked.
He said, “As we speak, over 500,000 persons are on the verge of losing their jobs as a result of the move by NAFDAC.
“Already, many companies supplying raw materials to the industry are feeling the heat. Production has stopped in many places and this is a dangerous situation for us, the workers, who have families to feed and cater to.
“We are not against NAFDAC safeguarding the health of Nigerians. What we are saying is that rather than throwing away the baby along with the bathwater, new strategies can be adopted by the agency to regulate and monitor quality control in the industry. This will sanitize the system and ensure the safety of consumers as intended.
“But if this ban is enforced outrightly, apart from the massive job losses, we would have empowered counterfeiters to now run riot and put the health of everyone at risk.
“We are therefore calling on NAFDAC to rescind the decision on total ban because of the far-reaching implications.
“There is hardship in the country already, Nigeria cannot afford to have over half of a million people thrown out of employment at once. Let us think about the dependents of these workers who will suffer greatly if this situation persists. We must not allow this.”
NAFDAC through its Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, on Monday announced that enforcement will begin on the ban on importation, manufacture, distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets, PET and bottles of 200ml and below as a result of the non-registration of such products by the agency.
