By FLORENCE ONUEGBU

The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has faulted the ban on alcohol in sachets and small bottles.

Its Director-General, Mr. Wale Smatt-Oyerinde, during a media briefing on Tuesday in Lagos, said that a blanket ban was not the solution to the problem.

He said that such ban would likely create another opportunity for smugglers, especially with Nigeria having more than 1,000 unmanned entry and exit points.

According to him, banning sachet drinks poses a serious threat to the Nigerian economy, as the action will lead to loss of jobs and investments.

“Looking at the overall economic objectives, where do you throw the jobs that would be lost in that place?

“Do we rather strengthen our institutions, strengthen our social institutions, the school system, or strengthen all the institutions that we need to strengthen, rather than create a blanket ban.

“We are not worried about the rate of unemployment. We’re not worried about the business investment that will be lost. We’re not worried about the consequences of the message we are communicating to other investors,” he said.

Smatt-Oyerinde said that a ban on the sachet product would create problems for the police, security agencies, the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the economy.

He, therefore, urged the government to engage more with all stakeholders, business owners and consumers to arrive at solutions that would be a win-win for all.

The DG said that 2025 had been a pretty eventful year, as the association collaborated with numerous government agencies to ensure that the business environment became friendly.

He acknowledged that the economic reforms undertaken by the present administration had brought macroeconomic stability to the country in 2025.

Smatt-Oyerinde expressed optimism that these gains would start translating into a more favourable microeconomic environment for Nigerians to benefit in 2026.

He said that NECA and organised labour would continue to deepen engagement to close the gap in areas where there were wide disparities.

“We will consolidate on the foundation of fiscal industrialisation that already existed, and continue to engage the government in the context of an environment that will make this country much more profitable, not only for those in government, but also for Nigerians,” Smatt-Oyerinde said. (NAN)