– DG Warns – NAFDAC remains resolute in its mission to ensure that only safe, wholesome, and properly regulated products are available to Nigerians
– Says NAFDAC has, however, not closed down any company that makes alcohol. The Agency only ban the alcohol in sachet and small containers less than 200ml
(NAFDAC DIRECTOR GENERAL, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye)
– Alcohol manufacturers were given six years moratorium to phase out sachet and small-volume alcohol packaging by January 31, 2024, later extended to December 2025 to allow industry operators to exhaust old stock and reconfigure production lines. – Prif. Adeyeye
By Biola Lawal
Abuja (FLOWERBUDNEWS): NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye has vowed to effectively enforce the ban imposed on the production and sale of alcohol in sachets and small plastic bottles in the country.
Prof. Adeyeye, who made the declaration in a public statement she personally signec to underscore its importance, said that alcohol in sachets had become ”public health menace.”
Consumption of alcohol in sachets and small plastic bottles ”has been linked to increased incidences of domestic violence, road accidents, school dropouts, and social vices across communities,” Prof Adeyeye disclosed.
She said that NAFDAC had resumed enforcement of ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small-volume PET/glass bottles (below 200ml), in line with the recent directive of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Prof Adeyeye said that the 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.
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She stated that the proliferation of high-alcohol-content beverages in sachets and small containers less than 200 ml had made the products easily accessible, affordable, and concealable, leading to widespread misuse and resultant addiction among minors and some commercial drivers.
”This public health menace has been linked to increased incidences of domestic violence, road accidents, school dropouts, and social vices across communities.
”Placing a label to read “not for children” on the sachets and the small containers will not work,:: the NAFDAC Boss stressed.
Labelling ”cannot be enforced because of the peculiarity of the society. Many parents don’t know their children take alcohol in sachet because the pack size can be easily concealed and the sachet is cheap,” She said.
History of six years of moratorium given to manufacturers to reconfigure their product lines:
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, Prof Adeyeye explained.
She added that the moratorium was later extended to December 2025 to allow industry operators to exhaust old stock and reconfigure production lines.
.She emphasised that the current Senate resolution aligns with the spirit and letter of that agreement and with Nigeria’s commitment to the World Health Assembly Global Strategy Resolution to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol (WHA63.13, 2010), to which Nigeria is a signatory since 2010.
”The aim of the Resolution is to protect vulnerable population such as children and the youth. The ban on sachet packaging and PET botttle less than 200 ml is to make it difficult for children to get to alcohol and its consumption,” the DG said.
”NAFDAC approves alcohol in bigger pack sizes. The small size of the sachet makes it easier for underage to conceal from parents and teachers. Report from schools show that children conceal the sachets.
” A teacher recently reported that a student said he couldn’t take exam without taking sachet alcohol.
” NAFDAC did not close down any company that makes alcohol. The Agency only ban the alcohol in sachet and small containers less than 200ml,” Prof. Adeyeye stated.
According to the DG, :“This ban is not punitive; it is protective. It is aimed at safeguarding the health and future of our children and youth by not allowing alcohol in small pack sizes.
”The decision is rooted in scientific evidence and public health considerations. We cannot continue to sacrifice the wellbeing of Nigerians for economic gain.
”The health of a nation is its true wealth.”NAFDAC reiterates that only two packages of alcoholic beverages are affected by this regulation—spirit drinks packaged in sachets and small-volume PET/glass bottles below 200ml,” She declared.
”The Agency calls on all stakeholders, including manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, to comply fully with the phase-out deadline, as no further extension will be entertained beyond December 2025.
”The Agency will continue to work collaboratively with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to implement nationwide sensitization campaigns on the health and social dangers associated with alcohol misuse ,,She assured.
”NAFDAC remains resolute in its mission to ensure that only safe, wholesome, and properly regulated products are available to Nigerians,’:. She concluded.
