The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, has defended the agency’s enforcement of the sachet alcohol ban, warning that unrestricted access to the products is pushing Nigerian children toward alcohol addiction.
Speaking on ARISE Television on Friday, Adeyeye said the decision was based on public health concerns, stressing that economic interests must not be placed above the safety and wellbeing of minors.
“We are turning our children into addicts,” she warned.
According to her, many alcohol producers are driven largely by profit, with little regard for the dangers posed by highly concentrated alcohol sold in small, easy-to-hide sachets.
“They are focused on money, not health. Our responsibility is health and sustainable development. We cannot sacrifice our children for trade,” she said.
Adeyeye clarified that NAFDAC has not banned alcohol outright, but has restricted its sale in sachet form, which makes it easier for underage individuals to obtain and conceal.
“We are not banning alcohol. Alcohol is approved in other packaging. It is only the small sachets that are prohibited,” she explained.
She traced the policy back to 2018, when the agency discovered that some sachet alcohol products contained between 43 and 45 per cent alcohol, making them particularly dangerous.
“Such products can easily be slipped into the pocket of a primary or secondary school child,” she said.
The NAFDAC boss noted that manufacturers were given five years, under an agreement supervised by the Federal Ministry of Health, to reorganize their operations and phase out sachet packaging.
“We all agreed that after five years, alcohol would no longer be sold in sachets,” she stated.
Although the original deadline expired on January 31, 2024, enforcement was delayed after interventions from lawmakers and industry players, leading to an additional one-year extension.
“The minister called and asked that we grant another one-year moratorium beyond the initial five years. That extension ended in December 2025,” Adeyeye said.
She explained that enforcement resumed following a directive from the Senate, despite renewed requests from manufacturers for further extensions.
“The Senate instructed us to proceed with enforcement,” she said.
Adeyeye dismissed suggestions that warning labels could curb underage drinking, questioning how such measures would be enforced in Nigeria.
“‘Not for under 18.’ In Nigeria? Are we really being serious? Who will enforce it?” she asked.
She added that the ban aligns with Nigeria’s international commitments to protect vulnerable populations from easy access to alcohol.
“In 2010, Nigeria signed an agreement committing not to make alcohol easily accessible to vulnerable groups,” she said.
Adeyeye also denied claims that NAFDAC had been served with a court order halting enforcement.
“NAFDAC has not been served. If we were, I would have been informed,” she stated.
Responding to reports that factories were shut down, she clarified that only specific production lines were affected.
“We are shutting down production lines, not entire companies,” she said.
She concluded by warning about the long-term health consequences of early alcohol exposure, noting that it causes gradual and lasting damage.
“You are slowly damaging the liver over time with alcohol,” Adeyeye cautioned.