The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday maintained that its ongoing enforcement against the manufacture, distribution and sale of sachet alcohol was driven by public health concerns, particularly the protection of children, and not an attempt to destroy businesses.

Speaking in an interview on ‘The Morning Show’ on ARISE NEWS Channel, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, rejected claims by industry stakeholders, including the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), that the agency operates unilaterally and without consultation.

According to her, “Our mandate is clear. NAFDAC regulates and controls the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale and use of regulated products, including alcohol under food. What we are doing is squarely within that mandate.”

She traced the origins of the sachet alcohol policy to 2018, shortly after she assumed office, when NAFDAC officials drew her attention to the growing circulation of high-alcohol-content drinks packaged in small sachets.

“I didn’t even know what sachet alcohol was at the time. I saw one pack and thought it was a breakfast bar because the packaging was so colourful. I turned it and discovered it was liquid alcohol; about 43 to 45 per cent alcohol, small enough to be squeezed into the pocket of a primary or secondary school child,” she added.

According to Adeyeye, NAFDAC initially sought to engage manufacturers on reducing alcohol concentration and packaging size. However, industry groups, including the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) and the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (D-BAN), petitioned the Federal Ministry of Health, triggering a series of negotiations.

She said after extensive consultations involving NAFDAC, the Ministry of Health, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), industry groups and other stakeholders, an agreement was reached in 2018, granting manufacturers a five-year moratorium to reorganise.

“We all signed that after five years, alcohol would no longer be sold in sachets. We are not banning alcohol. Alcohol is available in different packages. It is only small packages that we are banning,” she explained.

She noted that the moratorium expired on January 13, 2024, after which NAFDAC commenced enforcement. However, further interventions followed, including hearings at the National Assembly and an additional one-year extension granted by the Minister of Health, which expired in December 2025.

“The Senate later directed us to resume enforcement,” Adeyeye said, adding that continued calls for further extensions were unacceptable. “We cannot sacrifice our children on the altar of trade.”

Responding to claims that the ban could lead to the loss of millions of jobs and that other measures, such as warning labels, could curb underage drinking, Adeyeye dismissed such arguments as unrealistic.

“In Nigeria, are we kidding ourselves? Who is going to enforce ‘not for under 18’ labels when these products are sold in buckets in garages for as little as N50 or N60? A child can easily get that,” she said.

She also addressed accusations that NAFDAC continued to register sachet alcohol products during the moratorium period despite plans to ban them.

“We were honouring the moratorium granted by the government. That registration was temporary. We did not know the industry would later use it against us. We are learning our lessons.”

On reports of an interim court injunction dated January 22, 2026, restraining NAFDAC from enforcing the ban, the Director-General said the agency had not been formally served.

“NAFDAC has not been served, or at least I have not been informed of any service,” she said, adding that the agency remains guided by legislative directives.

Adeyeye also rejected suggestions that reducing alcohol concentration in sachets, rather than banning them, would solve the problem, stressing that packaging size and ease of concealment were central concerns.

According to her, “A child cannot hide a 500ml bottle in his pocket and take it to class. But sachets can be concealed easily. That is the issue.”

She cited anecdotal evidence from school principals who reported students consuming multiple sachets daily and struggling with addiction, saying, “We are making our children addicts. A child’s body is not that of a small adult. Early exposure increases the risk of liver damage and cirrhosis later in life.”

While acknowledging that enforcement actions had led to the sealing of production lines in some factories, Adeyeye clarified that NAFDAC was targeting sachet lines, not shutting down entire companies.

“We are shutting down lines, not businesses. We are not against alcohol. Adults are free to drink, and we approve alcohol registrations every day.”

Addressing claims by MAN that NAFDAC engages in “monologue,” Adeyeye described the allegation as unfair.

She added: “We had regular quarterly meetings with MAN. It was disappointing to hear that claim. The relationship broke down when they took us to the legislature without prior discussion.”

She concluded by situating Nigeria’s action within a global public health framework, noting that the country signed a World Health Assembly agreement in 2010, committing to reducing alcohol accessibility to vulnerable populations. (THISDAY)