Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Professor Christianah Adeyeye, on Friday reaffirmed the agency’s firm stance on the ban of alcohol in sachets and small bottles, stressing that there will be “no going back unless a legislative or legal directive allows otherwise.”
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Adeyeye spoke during an impromptu press briefing following a protest by alcohol manufacturers at NAFDAC’s Isolo office in Lagos, where hundreds of workers and union members staged a demonstration against the enforcement of the ban.
The protesters, led by the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), along with stakeholders including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and workers from various companies, converged on the agency’s office as early as 8:30 a.m.
They arrived in white buses carrying placards with various inscriptions, appealing to the Federal Government to call the NAFDAC Chief to order in the interest of the nation’s economy and warning of dire consequences for millions of Nigerians whose livelihoods are connected with the sector.
Some of the inscriptions on the placards read: ‘Local manufacturers deserve protection, not frustration’, ‘Stop destroying local manufacturers’, ‘N2 trillion investment deserves protection’, ‘5.5 million Nigerians cannot be pushed to the streets’, and ‘The Renewed Hope Agenda must work for all Nigerians’.
The protesters argued that the ban could lead to massive job losses and economic hardship, claiming over 5 million jobs would be lost and putting at least N3 trillion in investment at risk.
The Executive Secretary, Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association, a union under Trade Union Congress, Comrade Solomon Adebosin, who spoke to journalists, said the protest became necessary following NAFDAC’s decision to commence enforcement on the ban despite a directive from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation that all actions and measures related to the proposed ban should be suspended, pending the outcome of consultations and final directive.
“At this period of our economy, throwing over five million people out of their jobs and putting at least 3 trillion investment at risk, will not augur well for our country. We appreciate our president for his various pro-active measures to strengthen the economy, killing local investments and throwing people out of jobs will definitely frustrate President’s commitment to boost the economy,” Adebosin stated.
Adebosin pointed out that the policy to ban the sachet drinks seemed targeted at indigenous producers as they are the most affected by this policy.
“With the trend and the target of the ban, it is clear that it meant to frustrate local manufacturers out of the market. Unfortunately, this will have multiple negative effects on the economy as all the people engaged in the value chain of sales and production would be affected,” he stated.
He affirmed that proper regulation through access control and advocacy are globally accepted as a sustainable approach in resolving the imbroglio, appealing to the regulatory agency to follow the global trend by deepening regulation rather than embarking on an unpopular route that would create economic havoc for Nigerians.
Comrade Azeez Rasaki, who spoke on behalf of National Union of Food/Beverages & Tobacco Employees, said the actions undermine the economic recovery objectives of the Tinubu Administration and run counter to the Renewed Hope Agenda which promises job creation, industrial growth and support for local enterprises.
However, Adeyeye, who earlier addressed leaders of the protesters, told journalists that the move to enforce the ban was not a punishment but a necessary public health intervention.
“Children are not small adults. Their physiological systems cannot handle alcohol, and early exposure significantly increases the risk of disease, addiction, and social harm. This is why we cannot compromise on enforcement,” she said.
The NAFDAC DG explained that adults may choose to drink responsibly, but the small, highly concentrated sachets of alcohol are easily accessible to children and young people, and have become a major driver of alcohol-related health and social problems, including road accidents, addiction and crime.
Adeyeye recalled that the ban is in line with global health standards and Nigeria’s commitment under SDG 3.5, which seeks to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. She emphasized that the agency had given manufacturers five years, plus an additional one-year moratorium, to adjust their production and business plans, and that the enforcement now is the culmination of that process.
“We are not banning alcohol,” she stressed. “Producers still have their licenses to manufacture larger volumes. What we are stopping is the production of small, highly concentrated sachets that put children and the public at risk.”
She also addressed concerns about enforcement in markets and workplaces, assuring that the agency would be considerate in its approach.
“We do not want to penalise market women or others who unknowingly sell these products. Our focus is on licensed producers who continue to manufacture these dangerous sachets. Once we stop production, the current volumes in circulation will gradually disappear,” Adeyeye explained.
The NAFDAC DG also highlighted the wider social consequences of early and easy access to alcohol.
“Children exposed to alcohol early are more likely to develop substance abuse problems, suffer from chronic health issues, and engage in risky behaviours. Even adults consuming high volumes can face severe liver damage and other health risks,” she said.
Adeyeye appealed to parents, religious bodies and communities to support enforcement efforts and ensure children are not exposed to alcohol.
“No Nigerian has the right to make money at the expense of another person’s health. Everyone must cooperate to reduce the burden of alcohol-related harm in our society,” she declared.
Earlier, NAFDAC’s Enforcement Director, Mr. Martins Iluyomade, warned that the agency is prepared to take action against those who attempt to circumvent the ban.
“We have intelligence reports of individuals and groups trying to destabilise enforcement for profit. Alcohol is a psychoactive substance. It is our duty to protect public health,” he said.
On Wednesday, NAFDAC had announced that it had begun enforcement of the ban on the production and sale of alcohol packaged in sachets and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles below 200ml across the country, triggering the protests that followed on Friday.
The standoff between NAFDAC and the alcohol manufacturing industry highlights the tension between public health imperatives and economic considerations, particularly in a challenging economic climate where job preservation and investment protection are critical concerns for the government and citizens alike.
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