LIVE UPDATES
NIGERIA —The Federal Government has allocated N46,475,353 in the 2025 budget for the development and implementation of a comprehensive alcohol control policy and regulation.
Also, N331,966,804 has been earmarked for the prevention and management of Non-Communicable Diseases.
These allocations were revealed in the 2025 appropriation details for the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
According to the World Health Organisation, alcohol contains ethanol, a psychoactive and toxic substance that is dependence-inducing.
The WHO has emphasised that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption that does not affect health.
Recall that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control began enforcing a ban on February 1, 2024, on the importation, manufacture, distribution, sale, and use of alcoholic beverages in sachets, PET bottles, and glass bottles of 200ml and below.
NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, stated that the decision stemmed from recommendations by a high-powered committee comprising the Federal Ministry of Health, NAFDAC, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, and industry stakeholders like the Association of Food, Beverages, and Tobacco Employers and the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria.
However, the ban sparked protests from distillers and labour unions, who argued that it would jeopardize 500,000 jobs and destroy investments worth N800bn.
Non-communicable diseases, which include hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and chronic lung illnesses, are not primarily caused by infections but have long-term health consequences requiring sustained treatment and care.
The WHO reports that NCDs are responsible for 41 million deaths annually, representing 71 per cent of all global fatalities.
In Nigeria, the 2023 National Health Facility Survey by the National Bureau of Statistics highlighted gaps in the provision of care for NCDs.
Only 13.9 percent of health facilities offer diabetes services, with a mere 3.8 percent adhering to National Diabetes Guidelines.
The survey further revealed that only 12.1 per cent of public health facilities provide hypertension services, despite an estimated 31.2 per cent of Nigerians suffering from the condition. Hypertension accounts for 11 per cent of all deaths in the country.
The report stressed the urgent need to expand facilities offering preventive and curative services for hypertension, stating, “Investing in improving hypertensive care will greatly enhance Nigeria’s overall health index.”
