By Charles Okonji
The Food Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) has appealed to the Federal Government to save over N2 trillion investment and over 500,000 direct jobs as well as over 5 million indirect jobs in the sector by reversing the bann placed on alcoholic beverages packaging of below 200ml.
The National President of FOBTOB, Comrade Jimoh Oyibo, who made this appeal on Tuesday in Lagos, noted that the country’s economy would be further thrown into chaos.
Oyibo said; “We passionately make the following appeal in order to avert the grave repercussions that will most definitely follow the ban: For the purpose of fair hearing, and to exhibit good faith, the Senate should invite relevant stakeholders to a Public Hearing in order to “hear the other side” and be adequately educated to make an informed decision.
“Prior to the above, the Senate should please rescind its directive to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to ban alcoholic beverages in sachet and upwards of 200ml PET/glass bottle from December 31st 2025.
“The Senate should carefully look at and consider the endorsement of the validated National Alcohol Policy in view of its multi-sectoral implementation framework. The Senate should consider the totality of the value chain in the alcohol beverage industry in light of the impact of the ban on both formal and informal employees, and legitimate manufacturers.
“We encourage the Senate Committee to have an on-the-spot assessment by visiting these companies to have a firsthand understanding of the huge investments that will be laid to waste if the order on the ban is carried out.
“As FOBTOB, we are committed to ensuring that our employers comply with the highest regulations and standards (since our members are the ones involved in the production of these beverages). With this ban in place, the government will lose revenue that would have come from the taxes to be paid by these members who will lose their jobs.
“The children we are trying to protect will possibly be out of school, when their parents cannot cater for them again, and will be more prone to other social vices in the society. As the saying goes, “it takes the mother chicken to live and survive to be able to raise its young ones”.
Recall that the Senate recently directed NAFDAC to effect a ban on alcoholic beverages in sachets and small volume PET/glass bottles (below 200ml) by December 2025.
FOBTOB National President noted that this ban was earlier imposed by NAFDAC sometime last year, adding that the Union with the strong support of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) embark on protests to NAFDAC, Ministry of Health and the National Assembly.
According to him, the protest caught the attention of the House of Representatives, who called for a Public Hearing of all stakeholders, with their positions on the issue.
“After painstakingly going through the presentations by all concerned stakeholders, including NAFDAC, the House of Representatives directed NAFDAC to rescind the ban and further engage with the manufacturers and other players in the industry,” Oyibo averred.
