A civic group, Concerned Citizen for Change, has called on President Bola Tinubu to sack the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, over the agency’s enforcement of the ban on sachet alcohol and alcoholic drinks in small PET bottles.
Addressing the press in Abuja on Thursday. the group’s Executive Director, Amb. Kingsley Nwanze, accused NAFDAC of acting arbitrarily and in disregard of ongoing stakeholder engagements over the controversial policy. He said the enforcement had disrupted business operations, threatened jobs and created uncertainty for manufacturers and workers in the alcoholic beverage value chain.
The group argued that the enforcement was ill-timed, especially amid current economic pressures, and claimed it was inconsistent with earlier interventions by the House of Representatives and other government actors. It also maintained that the ban would hurt low-income adult consumers, encourage illicit and unregulated alternatives, and reduce government revenue from legitimate producers.
Concerned Citizen for Change further rejected NAFDAC’s justification that sachet alcohol fuels abuse among minors, insisting that smaller pack sizes can also limit excessive consumption. The group said manufacturers had invested heavily in campaigns promoting responsible drinking and restricting access to underage consumers.
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NAFDAC, however, has consistently defended the policy as a public health measure aimed at reducing access to cheap, easily concealable alcohol, especially among children, adolescents and other vulnerable groups. The agency says the restriction applies specifically to spirit drinks packaged in sachets and in small PET or glass bottles below 200ml. Source
Background to the ban
The controversy over sachet alcohol dates back to a December 2018 agreement involving NAFDAC, the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria and the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers. Under that arrangement, industry players were given a five-year moratorium to phase out alcohol sold in sachets and in PET bottles below 200ml. NAFDAC said enforcement began on February 1, 2024, after the expiration of that moratorium. Source
Following backlash from manufacturers, workers and lawmakers, the House of Representatives in March 2024 pushed back against the enforcement, and later held discussions with NAFDAC over the economic implications of the ban. Reports at the time said both sides agreed to a temporary lifting of the restriction, citing economic hardship and the difficulties businesses faced during the COVID-19 period and its aftermath. Source
NAFDAC later clarified that any lifting of the ban was only temporary and that the phase-out window would run until December 31, 2025, after which full enforcement would resume. The agency said the extension was intended to give manufacturers time to adjust production lines and dispose of existing stock. Source
In November 2025, NAFDAC reaffirmed its commitment to enforce a total ban by the end of December 2025, saying the policy was backed by the Senate and aligned with Nigeria’s public health obligations. The agency argued that small-pack alcohol had become too affordable and accessible, contributing to misuse, addiction, road crashes, school dropouts and other social problems.
Even so, the policy has remained mired in institutional disagreement. Recent reports indicate that the Federal Government, through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, again asked NAFDAC to suspend enforcement pending further consultations and implementation of the National Alcohol Policy. But the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has also said it does not have the legal authority to stop NAFDAC from carrying out enforcement under its statutory powers, highlighting the continuing uncertainty around the ban.
Against that backdrop, Concerned Citizen for Change said Prof. Adeyeye’s continued stay in office was no longer in the public interest and urged President Tinubu to remove her “without hesitation.” As of press time, NAFDAC had not issued a fresh response to the group’s call, but the agency’s previous statements show it remains firmly in support of the ban as a necessary health safeguard.
Crediblenewsng.com
