Alcohol encourages banditry — NAFDAC
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has said alcohol consumption encourages banditry and poses serious health risks to Nigerians.
The Director General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this on Wednesday while responding to questions during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
Adeyeye said alcohol consumption could have damaging effects on vital organs of the body, particularly the kidneys and liver.
She explained that the agency’s decision to restrict the sale of alcoholic drinks in sachets and small PET bottles was informed by concerns over the increasing availability and consumption of such products.
According to her, the sale of alcohol in sachets and PET bottles had been approved several decades ago, but the practice later became difficult to control.
She said NAFDAC subsequently moved to enforce a ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages in containers of less than 200 millilitres.
The NAFDAC boss acknowledged that the restriction did not sit well with some Nigerians, but maintained that the government’s priority was to protect public health and safeguard the future of children.
She said, “Alcohol encourages banditry, destroys the kidneys and liver. Although the ban on the sale of alcohol in sachets and PET bottles of less than 200ml did not sit well with some people, Nigerians are concerned about the future of their children.”