THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has commenced enforcement of ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and small PET or glass bottles below 200 milliliters.
A statement by the organisation on Thursday, January 29, stated that the enforcement was supported by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
NAFDAC said the action targeted only two product categories, spirit drinks sold in sachets and in bottles smaller than 200ml and did not involve shutting down alcohol-producing companies or banning alcohol consumption.
It also noted that products packaged in larger volumes remained 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 current enforcement followed weeks of uncertainty after the Federal Government had ordered a temporary halt to the ban pending consultations with stakeholders.
The Senate on November 6, 2025, directed the regulatory body to strictly enforce the ban on the packaging of high-strength alcoholic beverages in sachet formats beginning December 2025.
The lawmakers further stressed that no additional extension should be granted beyond the moratorium.
However, the Federal Government directive in December seemed to have stalled the implementation despite NAFDAC announcing on November 11, 2025, that it would proceed with a total ban by December.
On December 16, the Nigeria government ordered an immediate pause on all enforcement measures connected to the proposed ban, pending the completion of stakeholder consultations and the issuance of a final policy directive.
The directive was conveyed through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) after concerns were raised by the House of Representatives Committee on Food and Drugs Administration and Control.
It further said any enforcement without approval from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation would be invalid until a formal decision is issued.
Meanwhile, on January 21, NAFDAC announced that it had received a matching order from the Senate to proceed with the enforcement of the ban.
According to the agency, 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.
Root of the ban
The policy traces its origin to December 2018, when NAFDAC, the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding with industry groups to phase out sachet and small-volume alcohol packaging.
Under that agreement, manufacturers were given five years until January 31, 2024, to exhaust existing stock and reconfigure production lines, according to NAFDAC.
The deadline was later extended to December 2025, following appeals from industry players who cited the scale of investment involved and the risk to jobs.
Announcing the latest enforcement plan, NAFDAC maintained that 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 ICIR reports that the renewed enforcement has triggered protests, particularly in Lagos State, where workers in the food, beverage and tobacco sector staged demonstrations 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, on January 27, protested in Lagos, arguing that the ban threatened livelihoods across the value chain.
Union leaders estimated that up to one million jobs could be affected, warning that some workers had already been laid off and might not receive salaries.
They disputed claims that sachet alcohol fueled underage drinking, insisting there was no publicly available data linking the packaging format directly to its consumption by youth.
Addressing the press, the National President of the Food, Beverages and Tobacco Senior Staff Association, Oyibo Jimoh, argued that sachet alcohol is easier to regulate because manufacturers are known and licensed, unlike illicit or counterfeit products that could fill the market vacuum if regulated products disappear.
Manufacturers fault regulator
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has also criticised the enforcement, describing it as harmful to indigenous producers and inconsistent with earlier government directives.
MAN in a statement on Tuesday, January 27, contended that NAFDAC’s actions contradicted instructions previously issued by 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 further argued that small-size alcohol packaging was introduced to serve adult consumers with limited purchasing power and that removing this option would restrict consumer choice. MAN also warned that the ban could encourage the circulation of unregulated and unsafe alcoholic products.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M