The Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) on Wednesday led a protest at the Lagos office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) over the agency’s enforcement of the ban on the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets.
The protest, which drew members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), saw participants carrying placards with inscriptions such as: “Stop destroying local manufacturers,” “N2 trillion investment deserves protection,” “5.5 million Nigerians cannot be pushed to the streets,” and “The Renewed Hope Agenda must work for all Nigerians.”
The demonstrators converged at the NAFDAC office shortly after the agency announced that it had commenced enforcement of the ban on alcohol packaged in sachets and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles nationwide.
NAFDAC had stated that the enforcement was part of a nationwide directive to halt the production and sale of sachet alcohol, following a Senate resolution.
The Senate, under a motion sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong of Cross River South, had directed the agency to end the nationwide production of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small bottles by December 2025.
Following the Senate directive, NAFDAC announced that it would begin enforcing a total ban on the affected products by December 2025.
However, the decision has generated strong backlash from manufacturers and civil society organisations, who warned that the ban could cost the economy trillions of naira and lead to massive job losses.
Speaking during a media briefing in Lagos, NAFDAC Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, said the enforcement drive was necessary to protect public health and vulnerable groups.
She said, “The proliferation of high-alcohol-content beverages in sachets and small containers has made such products easily accessible, affordable, and concealable.”
Adeyeye added that the ban was aimed at safeguarding the public from the harmful effects of excessive alcohol consumption and ensuring that products meet regulatory standards.
She said, “The enforcement of this ban is a public health intervention targeted at reducing the harm associated with unregulated alcoholic beverages.”
The protest by DIBAN and labour unions comes amid rising concerns over the impact of the ban on local production and employment, with stakeholders calling for a more gradual transition to protect investors and workers.
They insisted that the ban, if fully implemented without adequate mitigation measures, could lead to the collapse of several local manufacturing businesses and deepen unemployment in the country.
