Stakeholders, Civil Society Groups Tackle NAFDAC over Ban of Sachet Drinks

Raheem Akingbolu

Stakeholders and coalition of civil societies protecting consumer rights have intensified protests against the decision of the National Agency for foods and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), to enforce the ban on the production of alcohol in sachets and PET, describing it as a calculated plan to frustrate and cripple local manufacturers in the food and beverage sector.

THISDAY had over the weekend reported how members of the Food, Beverages and Tobacco Senior Staff Association and the National Union of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employees staged a protest at the Lagos office of NADFAC, warning that it could displace no fewer than 5.5 million Nigerians from their jobs.

Meanwhile, the NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, at a meeting with the unions on Friday, affirmed that the reason behind the ban was to protect the children from the indiscriminate intake of alcohol.

Returning to the NAFDAC Lagos office yesterday, the aggrieved members vowed not to withdraw until their demands are met.

Declan Ihekaire, who represented the coalition of civil societies of Nigeria protecting consumer rights, said the initiative was in solidarity with members of the distillers’ association, under the aegis of the Food, Beverages and Tobacco Senior Staff Association and the National Union of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employees, who have been shut out of work following the regulatory action by NAFDAC.

He argued that the ban would worsen economic hardship, noting that millions of Nigerians are employed across the value chain of sachet alcohol production, distribution, and sales.

While accusing the government of using regulatory agencies to impose policies that affect low-income earners, who are the consumers of the products, he noted that the ban could only be justified when there are serious health challenges.

He said: “Millions of Nigerians have decided to go on low-key by consuming those products because of the income level. It’s not everybody who is so rich as to afford Hennessy and other big drinks. So when you now say we shouldn’t take such a drink, it’s as good as saying don’t take sachet water but only take bottled water.”

He, however, insisted that regulation rather than banning the products should have been adopted if there were issues the regulatory agency wanted to address.

In his remarks, the Branch Chairman of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) in Lagos, Somefun Olamiye, accused the Director-General of NAFDAC of misrepresenting facts to justify the ban on sachet alcoholic drinks. He stressed that the claim that sachet alcohol contains excessively high alcohol content was false.

Faulting the NAFDAC claim that the sachet alcohol contains up to 95 per cent alcohol, he said no sachet alcoholic drink exceeds 43 per cent alcohol content.

While appealing for the ban to be lifted, he noted that many low-income Nigerians, including widows and small-scale traders, depend on the sale of sachet alcoholic drinks alongside other products to sustain their families and fund their children’s education.

“We want the Tinubu government to save our jobs. After this, we will be marching to the National Assembly to inform them of our grievances because this is not the renewed hope that President Bola Tinubu promised us,” he said.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of FOBTOB, Solomon Adebosin, had stated that the regulatory agency misrepresented facts in most of its agreements against the drinks.

He also noted that a distillery was not an informal or unregulated environment but a controlled manufacturing space where alcoholic beverages are blended, flavoured, standardised, and packaged.

He added, “In a country battling unemployment, inflation, and declining purchasing power, public health regulation must be anchored on science, logic, and balance—not misinformation, selective morality, or policies that punish responsible consumers.

“The recent justification by NAFDAC for the ban on sachet alcoholic beverages raises serious concerns. Beyond the ban itself, the explanations offered by the agency, particularly by its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, expose contradictions, scientific misrepresentations, and a worrying disconnect from Nigeria’s economic realities.”

Adebosin also pointed out that what was more troubling was the growing perception that the agency’s actions disproportionately favoured multinational corporations while crippling indigenous manufacturers and small-scale distributors.

He asked if it was an irony and contradiction, saying, “The same products marked for ban are the same drinks certified by various regulatory agencies, produced in various sizes to match consumer affordability and Nigeria’s harsh economic realities. These sizes were not designed to promote abuse, but to enable responsible consumption within economic limits.”

The executive secretary also lamented what he termed ‘alcohol strength misinformation’.

“Contrary to public claims made at the NAFDAC press conference, no licensed distillery in Nigeria produces sachet alcohol at 50 percent, 70 percent, or 90 percent alcohol by volume. Standard alcoholic products in Nigeria include: Gin – 43 percent alcohol (vol/vol), Schnapps – 40 percent alcohol, Rum – 40 percent alcohol and Bitters – 30 to 40 percent alcohol.

“These figures are within international benchmarks and within Nigerian regulatory standards, clearly stated on product labels and verified during NAFDAC registration.”