The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has commenced enforcement of a ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and small PET or glass bottles below 200 millilitres, reigniting tension with industry players and labour unions.
In a statement on Thursday, January 29, the agency said the enforcement is backed by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
NAFDAC clarified that the action targets only spirit drinks sold in sachets and bottles smaller than 200ml, stressing that it does not amount to a shutdown of alcohol-producing companies or a ban on alcohol consumption.
According to the regulator, alcoholic beverages packaged in larger volumes remain permitted for production and sale.
“The widespread availability, low cost, and ease of concealment of alcohol in sachets and small containers have contributed to underage access, misuse, and addiction, with associated social consequences including road accidents, school dropouts, and other social vices,” the agency stated.
Policy revived after suspension
The renewed enforcement comes weeks after uncertainty over the policy, following a Federal Government directive ordering a temporary halt pending consultations with stakeholders.
On November 6, 2025, the Senate had directed NAFDAC to strictly enforce the ban on high-strength alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets from December 2025, insisting that no further extension should be granted beyond the moratorium.
Despite NAFDAC announcing on November 11, 2025, that it would proceed with a total ban by December, the Federal Government appeared to stall implementation.
On December 16, the Nigerian government ordered an immediate suspension of all enforcement measures linked to the proposed ban, pending the conclusion of stakeholder consultations and the issuance of a final policy directive.
The instruction, conveyed through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), followed concerns raised by the House of Representatives Committee on Food and Drugs Administration and Control.
The directive also warned that any enforcement without approval from the OSGF would be invalid until a formal decision was reached.
However, on January 21, NAFDAC announced that it had received a matching order from the Senate to proceed with enforcement.
The agency said the renewed action aligns with its public health mandate, particularly the protection of children, adolescents, and young adults.
“We already started the enforcement to ban alcohol production in sachets and bottles below 200ml, after we received the order from the Senate.
“NAFDAC is not against alcohol, but we are against its proliferation in high concentrations in sachets and small bottles to prevent children from having easy access to it,” Adeyeye added.
NAFDAC traced the policy to a December 2018 Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, and industry groups to phase out sachet and small-volume alcohol packaging.
Under the agreement, manufacturers were given five years—until January 31, 2024—to exhaust existing stock and retool production lines.
Following appeals by industry players over investments and potential job losses, the deadline was later extended to December 2025.
NAFDAC said the “current enforcement aligns with that agreement and with Nigeria’s commitment to the World Health Assembly Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol.”
Industry protests
The enforcement has sparked protests, particularly in Lagos State, where workers in the food, beverage, and tobacco sector demonstrated at NAFDAC’s office in Isolo.
Members of the Food, Beverages and Tobacco Senior Staff Association and the National Union of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employees staged the protest on January 27, warning that the ban threatens jobs across the value chain.
Union leaders estimated that up to one million jobs could be affected, adding that some workers had already been laid off and might not receive salaries.
They rejected claims that sachet alcohol fuels underage drinking, arguing that no publicly available data links the packaging format directly to youth consumption.
The National President of the Food, Beverages and Tobacco Senior Staff Association, Oyibo Jimoh, said sachet alcohol is easier to regulate because producers are known and licensed, warning that illicit and counterfeit products could fill the gap if regulated products disappear.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has also criticised the enforcement, describing it as harmful to indigenous producers and inconsistent with earlier government directives.
In a statement on Tuesday, January 27, MAN said NAFDAC’s actions contradicted instructions from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and resolutions of the House of Representatives, which had urged restraint pending further stakeholder engagement.
The association argued that small-size alcohol packaging was introduced to cater to adult consumers with limited purchasing power and warned that the ban could restrict consumer choice and encourage the circulation of unregulated and unsafe alcoholic products.