By OCHEFA

• Collage: MAN President Francis Meshioye; John Owan Enoh, Minister of State for Industry; and Minister of Industry, Jumoke Oduwole.

This concerns the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) ‘s recent ban on spirit drinks in sachets and small bottles under 200ml.

Since the issue arose, industry stakeholders have been negotiating directly with the regulator, without their ministers’ involvement, despite their oversight over policies affecting operators.

Industry groups like MAN, NECA, FOBTOB, and others have engaged with NAFDAC and lawmakers independently, without consulting the sector’s ministerial officials who could have intervened and coordinated with higher authorities, including the Minister of Health.

Currently, there is confusion caused by government officials.

NAFDAC claims its ban is authorised by the Nigerian Senate and supported by the Federal Ministry of Health to protect public health, especially children and young adults.

Conversely, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), led by Senator George Akume, states that the ban requires their approval as the final authority.

Before the December 25, 2025, ban, NAFDAC Director-General Prof Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye stated that manufacturers had a six-year moratorium to reconfigure their products.

• Different brands of sachets alcohol

In December 2018, NAFDAC, the Federal Ministry of Health, and FCCPC signed a five-year MoU with AFBTE and DIBAN to phase out sachet and small-volume alcohol packaging by January 31, 2024.

The moratorium, initiated in 2021, was extended to December 2025 to allow industry players to clear stock and reconfigure production.

NAFDAC insists that the current Senate resolution aligns with the original agreement and Nigeria’s commitment to the WHO Global Strategy to Reduce Harmful Alcohol Use, which Nigeria has supported since 2010.

NAFDAC recently presented a survey report backing the ban on the production and consumption of alcoholic drinks sold in sachets and Polyethylene Terephthalate bottles among minors and underage persons.

NAFDAC recently made a public presentation of the alcohol consumption survey.

This was in response to the MAN, NECA, FOBTOB, among other industrial stakeholders querying its recent ban on sachet alcohol in packet sizes and PET bottles.

NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said during the presentation of the survey reports that the study was conducted in collaboration with the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria and carried out by Research and Data Solutions Ltd, Abuja, surveyed 1,788 respondents across six states between June and August 2021.

“Rivers and Lagos State lead in the consumption of alcoholic drinks sold in sachets and Polyethene Terephthalate bottles among minors and underage persons”, she said.

The agency said that the report examined access to alcohol and drinking frequency among minors (below 13 years), underage (13–17 years), and adults (18 years and above).”

Alcohol remains “one of the most widely used substances of abuse among youths” and noted that “the availability and easy access to alcohol have been identified as a contributory factor to the increasing alcohol consumption among minors.”54.3 percent of minors and underage respondents obtained alcohol by themselves.

Nearly half (49.9 per cent) purchased drinks in sachets or PET bottles, with Rivers State recording the highest rates—68.0 percent for sachets and 64.5 percent for PET bottles.

“Meshioye urges the government to prevail on the regulator to suspend the ban, because, “When manufacturing thrives, Nigeria thrives..when manufacturing wins, government wins.”

Lagos followed with 52.3 percent and 47.7 percent, respectively, while Kaduna recorded 38.6 percent sachet and 28.4 percent PET bottle consumption.

“The proportion of drinks procured in sachets was higher among males (51.4 percent) compared to females (41.5 percent), and more in rural (50.1 percent) compared to urban (45.3 percent) locations.”

The report also revealed that minors and underage respondents also accessed alcohol from friends and relatives (49.9 percent), social gatherings (45.9 per cent), and parents’ homes (21.7 percent).

It said that among those who bought alcohol themselves, 47.2 percent of minors and 48.8 percent of underage respondents procured drinks in sachets, while 41.2 percent of minors and 47.2 percent of the PET bottles.

On consumption frequency, 63.2 percent of minors and 54.0 percent of underage persons were occasional drinkers, but 9.3 percent of minors and 25.2 percent of underages respondent reported drinking daily.

Albeit, the OSGF, in a joint statement with the NSA,  declared the NAFDAC ban ” Null and Void.”

The leadership of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN),  however accused the NAFDAC of having misled the Senate to approve the ban on sachet alcohol and PET bottles.

Francis Meshioye, the President of the association, and Segun Ajayi-Kadir, Director -General of MAN, emphasised that NAFDAC didn’t provide the Senate with empirical data showing the negative impacts of alcohol on children.

“Business is based on data and logic. Not sentiment. Data is key. Bring your data. Alcohol is not produced for children.It is clearly written on the sachet that it is for people 18+;  the companies producing them have done the campaigns; they have NAFDAC numbers. So NAFDAC should do its job.

They misled the Senate by not giving enough information to the lawmakers,” said Ajayi – Kadir.

Meshioye urges the government to prevail on the regulator to suspend the ban, because, “When manufacturing thrives, Nigeria thrives..when manufacturing wins, government wins.”

Corroborating with MAN, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) strongly condemned the ban, calling it a “serious regulatory misstep” that threatens jobs, investments, and Nigeria’s regulatory credibility.

NECA Director General Wale-Smatt Oyerinde, expressed dismay that the enforcement is already disrupting legitimate businesses, jeopardising thousands of jobs across the wines and spirits value chain—including manufacturing, packaging, distribution, retail, and agriculture—and eroding investor confidence amid economic challenges such as high operating costs and currency pressures.

While affirming strong support for protecting minors, removing unsafe products, and advancing public health, NECA argued that the current blanket approach is flawed.

It disproportionately affects compliant, NAFDAC-registered manufacturers whose products underwent rigorous testing, registration, and revalidation processes.

These products comply with international alcohol-by-volume (ABV) standards for spirits, with clear labelling and warnings restricting consumption to adults over 18.

Oyerinde stressed that underage access stems from enforcement gaps at the retail level—such as weak age verification and monitoring—rather than packaging formats.

He advocated for smarter, evidence-based measures, including stricter retailer licensing, compliance checks, public education on responsible drinking, and intensified crackdowns on illicit narcotics and unregistered substances, which pose greater dangers to youth.

“Nigeria deserves regulation that safeguards public health while preserving livelihoods, investment, and respect for due process,” said Oyerinde, emphasising, “Policies ignoring science, economic realities, and regulatory coherence risk causing more harm than good..”