A civic advocacy organisation, Concerned Citizens for Change, has criticised the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for what it described as “high-handed” enforcement of a ban on the production, distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small containers below 200 millilitres. The group spoke at a press conference in Abuja on Friday.
The organisation expressed alarm over reports that NAFDAC had begun implementing the ban following a directive from the Senate, saying the action appeared to bypass an earlier, inclusive process coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Health that led to the drafting and validation of a National Alcohol Policy involving industry, regulators and lawmakers.
Comrade Oluoha Godwin Chukwudi, speaking on behalf of the group, said the reported enforcement announcement attributed to NAFDAC Director-General Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye seemed to disregard extensive stakeholder engagements held under the Health Ministry’s supervision.
He said those engagements produced resolutions, including a one-year extension for implementation and adoption of a multi-sectoral approach to regulation through the National Alcohol Policy.
“The alleged outright ban is at variance with resolutions jointly agreed upon by stakeholders and supervised by the Ministry of Health,” Chukwudi said, adding that the reported action by NAFDAC undermined the inclusive framework previously negotiated.
The group also challenged claims linking sachet alcohol consumption to widespread under-age abuse, saying several independent studies had reportedly debunked such assertions.
It noted that industry operators had invested significantly in responsible-drinking campaigns, spending over N1 billion on nationwide media sensitisation to curb under-age consumption.
Concerned Citizens for Change warned that enforcement of the ban could have extensive economic consequences, including the potential loss of over N1.9 trillion in investments, the retrenchment of more than 500,000 direct workers and the disruption of about five million indirect jobs across the alcohol value chain.
The group called on the Federal Minister of Health and Social Welfare to formally endorse and implement the validated National Alcohol Policy and its multi-sectoral framework, urging the Senate to revisit the matter through fresh, comprehensive stakeholder consultation.
It also appealed for the Senate to rescind any directive authorising enforcement of the ban and to restrain NAFDAC from proceeding with implementation pending full rollout of the policy.
In a strongly worded statement, the civic group accused NAFDAC leadership of acting unilaterally and called on the agency’s Director-General to step aside, alleging that the actions were inconsistent with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The controversy comes as NAFDAC has reportedly begun enforcement of the ban, following a Senate directive aimed at halting production and sale of alcohol in sachets and small bottles to protect public health, particularly among vulnerable populations such as children and young adults.
Concerned Citizens for Change concluded by urging dialogue, transparency and strict adherence to due process in resolving the regulatory dispute, stressing that effective public policy should balance health objectives with socioeconomic considerations.
