Bukola Afeni
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has reaffirmed its commitment to enforce a total ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small-volume PET or glass bottles (below 200ml) by December 2025, warning that no further extension will be granted.
The directive was issued by NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday. She emphasized that the agency’s action aligns with a recent directive of the Nigerian Senate and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, both of which aim to protect public health and curb alcohol misuse among vulnerable populations.
According to Adeyeye, the proliferation of high-alcohol-content drinks packaged in small containers has made such products cheap, easily accessible, and concealable, leading to widespread misuse and addictionparticularly among minors and commercial drivers.
“This public health menace has been linked to increased incidences of domestic violence, road accidents, school dropouts, and social vices across communities,” she said.
This decisive action, ordered by the Nigerian Senate and backed by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, underscores the Agency’s statutory mandate to safeguard public health and protect vulnerable populations—particularly children, adolescents, and young adults—from the harmful use of alcohol.
NAFDAC emphasizes that the current Senate resolution aligns with the spirit and letter of that agreement and with Nigeria’s commitment to the World Health Organization’s Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol (WHA63.13, 2010), to which Nigeria is a signatory.
The DG said: “This ban is not punitive; it is protective. It is aimed at safeguarding the health and future of our children and youth. The decision is rooted in scientific evidence and public health considerations. We cannot continue to sacrifice the well-being of Nigerians for short-term economic gain. The health of a nation is its true wealth.”
NAFDAC reiterated that only two categories of alcoholic beverages are affected by this regulation—spirit drinks packaged in sachets and small-volume PET/glass bottles below 200ml.
In December 2018, NAFDAC, the Federal Ministry of Health, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) and the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) to phase out sachet and small-volume alcohol packaging by January 31, 2024. The moratorium was later extended to December 2025 to allow industry operators to exhaust old stock and reconfigure production lines.
NAFDAC also pledged to work with relevant agencies, including the FCCPC, Federal Ministry of Health, and the National Orientation Agency (NOA), to intensify nationwide sensitization campaigns on the dangers of alcohol misuse.
The agency reiterated its determination to ensure that only safe, wholesome, and properly regulated products are available to Nigerians.
