Again, the Nigeria Labour Congress and workers in the food, beverage and tobacco sector have protested ban on sachet and PET bottles of alcoholic drinks by the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Information to Lead revealed that the protesters gathered in front of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) in Ikeja, the Lagos State capital.
The protesters who displayed various placards with different inscriptions queried the rationale behind the ban.
Recall that the said people had few days ago protested for same reason.
According to the demonstrators, rather than an outright ban on sachet alcoholic beverages, NAFDAC could come up with better regulatory and quality control policies that will put things under check.
They further argued that the move by NAFDAC will give more room to counterfeiters to run riot, thereby putting the health of Nigerians at risk.
In a statement released after the protest, Vice Chairman, Lagos Council of NUFBTE, Comrade Emmanuel Idogien, said the impact of the policy on families and the economy in general will be severe if not properly checked.
“Already, many companies supplying raw materials to the industry are feeling the heat. Production has stopped in many places and this is a dangerous situation for us, the workers, who have families to feed and cater to.
We are not against NAFDAC safeguarding the health of Nigerians. What we are saying is that rather than throwing away the baby along with the bathwater, new strategies can be adopted by the agency to regulate and monitor quality control in the industry. This will sanitize the system and ensure the safety of consumers as intended.
“But if this ban is enforced outrightly, apart from the massive job losses, we would have empowered counterfeiters to now run riot and put the health of everyone at risk.
“We are therefore calling on NAFDAC to rescind the decision on total ban because of the far-reaching implications.
“There is hardship in the country already, Nigeria cannot afford to have over half of a million people thrown out of employment at once. Let us think about the dependents of these workers who will suffer greatly if this situation persists. We must not allow this.”
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