The Federal Government has rolled out a five-year national alcohol policy meant to cut alcohol-related harm, tighten regulation and squeeze the illicit drink market.
Launched in Abuja yesterday, the Nigeria Alcohol Policy and Multisectoral Implementation Plan 2026–2030 gives ministries, agencies and other partners a single framework to tackle the health, social and economic fallout of drinking. Under the plan, government will step up public education, responsible marketing, age and access checks, screening, treatment and rehabilitation, while also improving safety, quality and traceability along the alcohol value chain.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Professor Muhammad Pate, represented by Permanent Secretary Daju Kachollom, said the problem could no longer sit with the health sector alone. He argued it touches public health, economic growth and good governance, and therefore needs joined-up work across government.
“Nigeria cannot address alcohol-related harm through fragmented interventions. We need coordination across sectors, clear responsibilities and accountability for results,” he said.
The policy rests on four pillars: harm reduction and health promotion; industrial and economic development; multisectoral coordination and governance; and monitoring, evaluation and accountability.
Pate pointed to the latest World Health Organisation figures showing total alcohol use at 3.2 litres of pure alcohol per person aged 15 and above in 2024. He also tied drinking to road safety, citing Federal Road Safety Corps records of 9,570 crashes and 5,421 deaths nationwide that year. Driving under the influence, he noted, remains a recognised factor, which is why prevention and enforcement have to be stronger.
He raised alarm over illicit trade, drawing on industry estimates from the Spirits and Wines Association of Nigeria based on a 2024 Euromonitor survey. Illicit spirits and wines were put at about 40 per cent of the market, with an estimated yearly revenue loss of more than N428 billion. That figure, officials say, gives the push for tighter regulation an economic edge, as government tries to protect public health without punishing legitimate operators.
In a welcome address delivered by the Director of Food and Drugs Services, Dr Olufowubi-Yusuf Adeola, the Permanent Secretary called the launch a major step in alcohol governance and urged stakeholders to turn pledges into measurable work. The ministry also asked traditional and religious leaders, civil society and the media to back implementation through public education, advocacy and community outreach.
NAFDAC Director-General Professor Mojisola Adeyeye praised what she called a clear policy direction. She restated the agency’s commitment to science-based regulation, monitoring, surveillance and stakeholder talks, and again affirmed the ban on alcohol in sachets and containers below 200 millilitres.
Officials from the Federal Ministries of Finance and of Industry, Trade and Investment, the Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria and other partners attended the launch and pledged to work together on the 2026–2030 plan.
Government said the policy fits President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, and international commitments under African Union Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals and relevant WHO frameworks. The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said it would keep working with agencies, industry and civil society so the document does not remain a paper framework but produces results people can measure.
