CSOs Threaten NAFDAC Shutdown as Sachet Alcohol Ban Sparks Fresh Backlash

A new wave of tension is building around Nigeria’s alcohol regulation space as a coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) has issued a threat to shut down offices of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) over its controversial ban on sachet alcoholic drinks.

The CSOs, who say they are acting to protect consumer rights and livelihoods, made the declaration in Lagos on Monday, aligning with labour unions in the food and beverage sector who argue that the policy could wipe out millions of jobs across the country.

Their move follows protests last weekend by members of the Food, Beverages and Tobacco Senior Staff Association and the National Union of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employees, who warned that the ban could displace at least 5.5 million Nigerians employed along the sachet alcohol value chain.

While the unions and CSOs insist the policy is economically devastating, NAFDAC has defended the decision as a public health intervention aimed at curbing underage drinking.

At a meeting with union leaders on Friday, NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the restriction was driven by concerns over the long-term health impact of early alcohol consumption on children.

She said:

“What our own liver can take, the children’s liver may not be able to take it. We are thinking about this in terms of protection and extending a child’s lifespan. Our stand is that we obey those who created the law for us. It is in the interest of public health because the probability that a child who started drinking at the age of 10 will have liver cirrhosis by 40 is very high.”

Despite the explanation, aggrieved groups returned to NAFDAC’s Lagos office on Monday, vowing to sustain pressure until the agency reconsiders its position.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Declan Ihekaire said the protest was in solidarity with workers and distillers forced out of business by the ban, describing the decision as insensitive to Nigeria’s current economic realities.

He argued that sachet alcohol production, distribution, and retail employ millions of Nigerians, warning that the policy could deepen hardship among low-income earners who rely on the industry for survival.

According to Ihekaire, the ban unfairly targets products consumed largely by poorer Nigerians, accusing the government of using regulatory agencies to enforce policies that ignore the lived realities of citizens.

He said:

“Millions of Nigerians have decided to go on low-key by consuming those products because of the income level. It’s not everybody that is so rich to afford Hennessy and other big drinks. So when you now say we shouldn’t take such a drink, it’s as good as saying don’t take sachet water but only take bottled water.”

The coalition maintained that stricter regulation, rather than an outright ban, would have been a more balanced approach to addressing any concerns about misuse or quality.

Adding to the criticism, the Lagos Branch Chairman of the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB), Somefun Olamiye, accused NAFDAC of presenting misleading information to justify the policy.

He dismissed claims that sachet alcohol contains dangerously high alcohol levels, insisting that no sachet alcoholic beverage exceeds 43 per cent alcohol content.

Olamiye also appealed for an immediate reversal of the ban, noting that many widows, petty traders, and small-scale vendors depend on sachet alcohol sales to support their families and educate their children.

In a similar vein, FOBTOB Executive Secretary Solomon Adebosin questioned the regulatory inconsistency behind the decision, asking why products previously approved, tested, registered, and routinely renewed by NAFDAC are now being declared unsafe.

As protests intensify, the standoff between regulators, labour unions, and civil society groups appears far from resolved, raising fresh questions about how Nigeria balances public health priorities with economic survival in a time of deepening hardship.