The Independent Public Service Accountability Watch (IPSAW) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately dismiss the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, accusing her of gross incompetence and abuse of public office over the enforcement of a ban on sachet alcohol and small PET bottle alcoholic beverages.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Executive Director of IPSAW, Stephen Eriba, described the action of NAFDAC as illegal, arbitrary and in violation of Nigeria’s National Alcohol Policy approved by the Federal Ministry of Health.

He alleged that the enforcement also disregards a presidential directive restraining the agency from disrupting the operations of affected companies pending the outcome of a joint committee reviewing the matter.

Eriba further argued that the decision contradicts the resolution of the House of Representatives, which had earlier urged the regulatory body to suspend the planned ban after consultations with stakeholders during a public hearing.

According to him, the move threatens thousands of jobs across the alcohol production value chain and could lead to economic disruption by forcing companies to halt production and distribution of sachet and small PET bottle alcoholic drinks.

The group warned that the policy could also open the market to illicit and unregulated alcoholic products, encourage smuggling, and reduce government revenue from legitimate manufacturers.

IPSAW maintained that the availability of alcohol in smaller sachets and bottles provides affordable options for low-income adult consumers and does not necessarily promote abuse as claimed by regulators.

While acknowledging the need to eliminate unsafe products from the market, the group insisted that regulatory decisions must be based on verifiable research and stakeholder engagement rather than what it described as “emotional persuasion.”

IPSAW therefore urged President Tinubu to wield what it called “the big stick” by removing Adeyeye from office, arguing that her continued stay as NAFDAC’s Director-General is no longer in the public interest. (The Guardian)

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