A coalition of consumer rights groups on Monday staged a protest at the Lagos office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) over the agency’s planned enforcement of a ban on sachet alcoholic beverages.
The protest was led by Comrade Olufemi Lawson under the banner of the Coalition for the Protection of Consumers’ Rights, following a recent press briefing by NAFDAC in which the agency’s Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, reportedly announced the commencement of enforcement actions against sachet alcohol products.
Addressing protesters and journalists at the scene, Lawson described the proposed enforcement as “draconian, economically insensitive, and poorly thought out,” arguing that it contradicts the federal government’s ongoing efforts to tackle unemployment and ease economic hardship.
According to the coalition, enforcing the ban would unfairly punish manufacturers, distributors, and consumers, while exposing what it described as regulatory inconsistencies within NAFDAC.
Lawson alleged that sachet alcoholic beverages currently in circulation were duly tested, registered, and approved by the agency, questioning why the same products were now being labelled unsafe.
“The issue of underage drinking is a regulatory and enforcement failure, not a product crime,” Lawson said. “These products are clearly labelled ‘not for sale to persons under 18.’ If minors still access them, then enforcement at the retail level has failed.”
The coalition also challenged claims that sachet alcohol products contain excessively high alcohol levels, insisting that licensed distilleries in Nigeria operate within internationally accepted alcohol-by-volume standards.
It further dismissed environmental pollution arguments, noting that sachet packaging is widely used across other consumer goods such as water, detergents, and household products.
Protesters carried placards bearing inscriptions like “Suspend the Sachet Alcohol Ban,” “Save Jobs, Save Livelihoods,” and “Regulation, Not Prohibition.” They warned that sustained enforcement could lead to widespread job losses across the distillery value chain, affecting factory workers, distributors, transporters, and retailers.
As part of their demands, the coalition called for the immediate suspension of enforcement actions, the reopening of sealed factories, and the initiation of dialogue and stakeholder engagement to develop data-driven and inclusive regulatory solutions.
The group also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly to intervene, warning that failure to act could trigger nationwide protests across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
NAFDAC officials at the Lagos office did not address the protesters directly, and the agency had not issued an official response as of the time of filing this report.