#LetThePoorLive: CSOs Protest Ban On Sachet Alcohol, Beverages In Abuja

No fewer than 100 civil society organisations (CSOs), Wednesday, in Abuja, held what they described as a ‘Let The Poor Live’ protest over the ban on sachet and PET bottles of alcoholic drinks by the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

The groups, on the platform of Coalition Against Economic Saboteurs, in a statement, lamented that the new policy would further pile more problems on the Nigerian economy as it may lead to the eventual shutdown of the industries producing the banned products.

“Today, we address a matter of grave concern, the recent decision by the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC), Professor Moji Adeyeye, to ban the sale of beverages in small sachets. We view this policy as a direct assault on the livelihoods of millions of Nigerians, a move that will not only put countless citizens out of work but also exacerbate the existing problems of insecurity and unemployment in our nation,” Comrade Kabir Matazu said on behalf of the groups.

The group, while condemning the NAFDAC ban on sachet alcoholic drinks and beverages, said the decision showed that the regulatory agency was disconnected from the realities faced by the ordinary Nigerian citizens.