By James Isaac
The House of Representatives has called on the National Agency for Food Drug and Administration and Control (NAFDAC), to lift the ban placed on sachet alcoholic drinks, noted that it is detrimental to the growth of Nigeria’s ailling economy.
Specifically he wondered why the same alcoholic drinks can be purchased by underaged in bottles over the counter but the same content in sachet is banned by the regulatory agency.
Briefing journalists on Friday, the Deputy Spokesperson of the House, Hon. Philip Agbese said that the issue of underaged consuming alcohol have to do with parental failure.
In his words “smokers are liable to die young usually accompanies cigarette advertisement but still you find people who smoke continuously.”
Therefore he opined that NAFDAC should rather work on sensitizing the public about the dangers inherent in alcoholic consumption instead of out right ban.
His position is premised on the fact that, since the Covid -19 economic meltdown , most businesses are striving to survive, as such it will be counter productive to place a ban on an industry whose operation employed a lot of labour.
On the issue of the health implication of alcoholic consumption by the underage, the lawmaker was of the opinion that, if the ban subsist, it will be depriving the adult who use alcohol for celebration when they are happy as well as those who use it to do away with their sorrows of their rights
