Professor of Chemistry, Samuel Odeyemi, has cautioned National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control against ban on sachet and PET-packaged alcohol.
He fears that the policy could threaten millions of jobs and worsen economic hardship.
Speaking with journalists in Ogun State, Odeyemi, a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) of University of Lagos, Akoka, argued that the ban would have economic consequences, noting that millions are employed across the value chain of sachet alcohol production, distribution and sales.
While some religions discourage alcohol, its use is universal, often serving as a solvent in medications, such as cough syrups. Historically, advanced nations produced alcohol in large 50-litre containers before gradually reducing them to one-litre sizes to encourage smaller dosages,” he said.
Odeyemi explained that in Africa, producers introduced the 10ml sachet as an innovation that actually discourages excessive alcohol intake.
“If this had been invented in Europe or China, it would be hailed as a breakthrough. In Nigeria, however, we tend to stifle innovation because of bias against home-grown solutions,” he said.
