The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has stated that it has not been formally served with any court order stopping the enforcement of the ban on sachet alcohol across Nigeria.
The Director General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, made this clarification on Friday while speaking on a live television programme, amid reports that a court injunction had halted the agency’s ongoing crackdown.
According to her, NAFDAC resumed enforcement based on legislative backing, stressing that no official document had been presented to the agency to justify suspending the policy.
She explained that the decision to enforce the ban was guided by concerns over public health, particularly the growing accessibility of high-concentration alcohol to children and minors.
Adeyeye said the agency was not targeting businesses but prioritising the safety and future of Nigerian children, noting that sachet alcohol with alcohol content as high as 43 to 45 per cent could easily be concealed by school-age children.
She clarified that NAFDAC was not banning alcohol entirely, but restricting its sale in small sachet-sized packages that make it cheap, accessible, and easy to hide.
Tracing the policy’s origin, she said discussions with manufacturers began as far back as 2018 under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Health, with an agreement granting producers five years to phase out sachet alcohol.
The initial moratorium expired in January 2024 but was later extended by one year following interventions from lawmakers and industry stakeholders, with the final extension ending in December 2025.
Despite requests by manufacturers for further extensions, Adeyeye said enforcement resumed after the Senate directed the agency to act.
She dismissed suggestions that warning labels alone could prevent underage consumption, arguing that enforcement of such warnings was unrealistic in the Nigerian context.
The NAFDAC boss added that Nigeria’s policy aligns with international commitments under the World Health Assembly agreement, which discourages making alcohol easily accessible to vulnerable populations.
Addressing criticisms that NAFDAC continued to register sachet alcohol products during the moratorium, she admitted the agency acted based on legislative directives at the time, adding that lessons had been learned from the experience.
Adeyeye also rejected proposals to simply reduce alcohol concentration, explaining that the main concern was the pack size and ease of concealment rather than volume alone.
She cited reports from school administrators who observed students consuming sachet alcohol to cope with academic stress, warning that such trends could lead to widespread addiction and long-term health damage.
Clarifying enforcement methods, she said NAFDAC was shutting down specific production lines rather than entire companies and maintained that regular consultations were held with manufacturers throughout the process.
Reiterating her position, Adeyeye accused industry groups opposing the ban of prioritising profit over public health, insisting that the agency would not compromise the wellbeing of Nigerian children.
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