The Nigerian Senate has ordered the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) not to extend the December 31, 2025 deadline for the production of alcohol in sachets.

The resolution followed a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South) during Tuesday’s plenary session.

Presenting the motion, Ekpenyong said the directive was in line with global regulatory standards and international best practices aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm among Nigerians.

He recalled that in 2018, the Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), NAFDAC, and industry bodies including the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) voluntarily signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to gradually phase out sachet and small-bottle alcoholic drinks.

Ekpenyong explained that the Federal Government, upon appeals from manufacturers, had already granted a one-year moratorium in 2024 to enable producers to exhaust existing stock and transition to compliant packaging alternatives.

However, the lawmaker expressed concern that some manufacturers were lobbying for another extension, which he said would undermine regulatory authority, endanger public health, and perpetuate the circulation of harmful alcoholic products in the market.

“As the December 2025 deadline approaches, certain manufacturers are lobbying for another extension, thereby undermining the regulatory process and jeopardizing public health,” Ekpenyong said.

“We cannot continue to expose our youths to cheap, easily accessible alcohol that destroys lives and endangers public safety.”

He warned that the continued availability of high-strength alcoholic beverages in sachet form has contributed to addiction, impaired cognitive development, school dropouts, domestic violence, and increased road accidents, particularly among commercial drivers and young people.

Ekpenyong further noted that manufacturers who had complied in good faith were now at a disadvantage against those who continued to produce non-compliant products, creating an uneven market.

Following extensive deliberation, lawmakers who contributed to the motion commended Ekpenyong for raising the issue, stressing the need for stricter enforcement and public sensitization.

Senator Anthony Ani (Ebonyi South) backed the call, describing the easy availability of cheap alcohol as a growing social menace.

“The easy availability of cheap alcohol is fueling social vices. We must act now to save our young generation from self-destruction,” he said.

In his ruling, Senate President Godswill Akpabio described the resolution as a timely step toward safeguarding public health and youth welfare.

He urged NAFDAC to ensure full enforcement of the ban by December 2025, warning that any further extension would undermine Nigeria’s anti-substance abuse efforts.

“This is a matter of urgency,” Akpabio said. “The agency must act decisively to protect Nigerians, especially our young people, from the dangers of unregulated alcohol consumption.”

President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s determination to defeat terrorism and ensure a secure and prosperous Nigeria despite what he described as “political headwinds.”

Tinubu made the remark on Thursday after receiving an update on the state of the economy from Wale Edun, the coordinating minister of the economy.

The president said Nigeria would continue to engage with global partners diplomatically, emphasizing that his government remains focused on national security and stability.

“Despite the political headwinds and the fear of our people, we continue to engage our partners,” Tinubu said.

“We are engaging the world diplomatically. I assure you all that we will defeat terrorism.

“The task ahead is to move forward with clarity of purpose guided by the Renewed Hope agenda to build a prosperous Nigeria.”

Tinubu’s statement comes in the wake of recent comments by US President Donald Trump, who threatened possible military action in Nigeria over alleged killings of Christians.

Over the weekend, Trump instructed the US Department of War to “prepare for possible action” in Nigeria, while designating the country as a “country of particular concern” for what he called the systematic persecution of Christians.

Before Trump’s remarks, some US lawmakers had called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take firm diplomatic measures against the Nigerian government over alleged “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians.”

However, the federal government has dismissed these claims, insisting that there are no targeted religious killings in Nigeria.

United States President Donald Trump has reiterated his warning of potential military action in Nigeria over the alleged targeted killing of Christians by extremist groups in the country.

In a video broadcast on Wednesday, Trump, speaking behind a lectern adorned with the seal of his office, condemned the attacks said to be perpetrated by radical Islamist factions. He cautioned that there would be “immediate consequences” if Nigerian authorities failed to take decisive steps to stop the violence.

The US President restated that Washington would cut off all forms of aid to Nigeria if the killings persist, warning that “there would be hell to pay.”

Trump disclosed that he had directed the US Department of War to prepare for possible intervention, adding that any military action would be “vicious and sweet.”

He described the situation as an “existential threat” to Christianity in Nigeria.

Quoting him, Trump said: “If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid assistance to Nigeria.

“We are going to do things to Nigerians that Nigeria is not going to be happy about and may very well go into that now disgraced country, guns-a-blazing to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.

“I am hereby instructing the Department of War to prepare for possible actions. If we attack, it is going to be vicious and sweet just as the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians. The Nigerian government had better move fast before it is too late.

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands and thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.”

Trump also directed Riley Moore, a member of the US House of Representatives, and Tom Cole, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, to investigate the killings and provide an immediate report.

He emphasised that the United States “cannot stand by” while such acts continue, stressing America’s commitment to protecting Christian communities not only in Nigeria but around the world.

Video credit: Theeagleonline