Fatimah Otunsanya
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has resumed enforcement of the ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and small plastic or glass bottles below 200 millilitres.
The agency clarified that it did not shut down any alcohol-producing company but only prohibited the sale of alcohol in sachets and small containers, citing public health concerns.
In a statement on Thursday, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, said the move was aimed at protecting children, adolescents and young adults from the harmful use of alcohol.
“The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has resumed enforcement of the ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and small-volume PET or glass bottles below 200ml, in line with a resolution of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Agency’s public health mandate,” the statement read.
According to the agency, the widespread availability of high-alcohol-content beverages in sachets and small containers has made alcohol cheap, easily accessible and easily concealable, contributing to rising cases of underage drinking, addiction, domestic violence, road accidents, school dropouts and other social vices.
Adeyeye noted that placing warning labels such as “Not for children” on sachets and small containers had proven ineffective due to societal realities.
“Many parents do not even know their children consume sachet alcohol because the pack size is small, cheap and easily concealed,” she said.
She revealed that reports from schools had shown disturbing trends, including a recent case in which a teacher disclosed that a student claimed he could not sit for an examination without first taking sachet alcohol.
NAFDAC recalled that in December 2018, it, alongside the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with manufacturers to phase out sachet and small-volume alcohol packaging by January 31, 2024.
The moratorium was later extended to December 2025 to allow manufacturers to exhaust existing stock and reconfigure their production lines.
“The current Senate resolution aligns with the spirit and letter of that agreement and with Nigeria’s commitment to the World Health Assembly Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol,” she said.
Adeyeye stressed that the ban was not punitive but protective.
“This ban is not punitive; it is protective. It is aimed at safeguarding the health and future of our children and youth by not allowing alcohol in small pack sizes.
“The decision is rooted in scientific evidence and public health considerations. We cannot continue to sacrifice the well-being of Nigerians for economic gain. The health of a nation is its true wealth.”
She reiterated that only spirit drinks packaged in sachets and small PET or glass bottles below 200ml were affected, adding that NAFDAC still approved alcoholic beverages in larger pack sizes.
The renewed enforcement has sparked immediate reactions across industry, labour, and public spheres.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and other stakeholders, including the Food and Beverage Tobacco Outgrowers and Bottlers (FOBTOB), have criticised the move as inconsistent and potentially damaging.
On January 23, members of the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria, Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress gathered at the Lagos office of NAFDAC to protest the ban.
They warned that the enforcement would displace no fewer than 5.5 million Nigerians from their jobs.
Some protesters described the policy as a serious regulatory misstep that fails to balance public health goals with economic realities particularly in a country where low-cost sachet spirits remain popular among low-income consumers.
But NAFDAC called on manufacturers, distributors and retailers to comply fully with the directive, stressing that no further extension would be granted beyond December 2025.
The agency said it would continue to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the FCCPC and the National Orientation Agency to intensify nationwide sensitisation on the dangers of alcohol misuse.
NAFDAC reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that only safe, wholesome and properly regulated products are available to Nigerians.