A group of consumer rights advocates on Monday protested at the Lagos office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) over the agency’s planned enforcement of a ban on sachet alcoholic beverages.
The protest was organised by the Coalition for the Protection of Consumers’ Rights and led by its coordinator, Olufemi Lawson.
It followed recent comments credited to NAFDAC’s Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, indicating that enforcement actions against sachet alcohol products would soon commence.
Speaking at the protest venue, Lawson criticised the proposed enforcement, describing it as harsh, economically insensitive and ill-timed, especially amid rising unemployment and economic hardship across the country.
He argued that the move contradicts the Federal Government’s stated commitment to job creation and economic stability.
According to the coalition, the enforcement would negatively affect manufacturers, distributors, retailers and consumers, while also exposing what it termed inconsistencies in NAFDAC’s regulatory approach.
Lawson questioned why sachet alcoholic drinks that were previously tested, registered and approved by the agency are now being labelled unsafe.
He maintained that the issue of underage drinking should be addressed through proper retail-level enforcement rather than outright prohibition.
Lawson noted that sachet alcohol products are clearly labelled as unsuitable for persons under 18 and insisted that regulatory failure, not the products themselves, is the real problem.
The coalition also dismissed claims that sachet alcohol contains dangerously high alcohol content, stating that licensed distilleries in Nigeria operate within internationally accepted alcohol-by-volume standards.
It further rejected environmental concerns linked to sachet packaging, pointing out that similar packaging is widely used for products such as water and detergents.
During the protest, demonstrators displayed placards bearing messages including “Suspend the Sachet Alcohol Ban,” “Save Jobs, Save Livelihoods,” and “Regulation, Not Prohibition.”
They warned that enforcing the ban could result in widespread job losses across the distillery value chain, from production to distribution and retail.
The group called for the immediate suspension of the enforcement, the reopening of any sealed facilities, and the commencement of inclusive consultations with stakeholders to develop evidence-based regulatory solutions.
It also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly to intervene, cautioning that continued silence could spark nationwide protests.
As of the time of reporting, NAFDAC officials at the Lagos office had not addressed the protesters, and the agency had yet to issue an official response to the demonstration.
