NAFDAC begins nationwide enforcement of the sachet alcohol ban, citing serious health risks to children and youths

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has commenced full nationwide enforcement of the ban on the production and sale of alcohol packaged in sachets and small polyethylene terephthalate bottles, citing growing risks to children and young people.

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The Director General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, announced the crackdown on Wednesday during a media briefing in Lagos, following renewed authorisation from the Nigerian Senate.

Professor Adeyeye said the enforcement follows a Senate resolution directing the agency to implement existing regulations prohibiting alcoholic beverages packaged below 200 millilitres.

The NAFDAC sachet alcohol ban was first announced on November 11, 2025, with enforcement scheduled for December, in line with legislative directives. Adeyeye confirmed that the agency has now begun decisive action across the country.

The Senate resolution stemmed from a motion sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North, who warned that the widespread availability of high alcohol content drinks in sachets posed serious public health and social dangers.

Lawmakers during plenary expressed concern over rising alcohol abuse among school age children and youths, noting that the products are cheap, easily concealed and readily accessible.

Adeyeye said the enforcement drive is aimed at safeguarding public health and shielding vulnerable populations from harmful exposure.

“The proliferation of high alcohol content beverages in sachets and small containers has made such products affordable and accessible to minors,” she said.

“This is a dangerous trend we must urgently address.”

She clarified that NAFDAC is not opposed to alcohol consumption but is acting against products with dangerously high concentrations packaged in forms attractive to young users.

According to the NAFDAC director general, some sachet alcohol products previously contained between 50 and 90 per cent alcohol, levels she described as alarming and harmful.

She explained that earlier efforts to compel manufacturers to reduce alcohol content to 30 per cent were resisted, prompting intervention by the Federal Ministry of Health, which granted producers a five year transition period from December 2018 to January 31, 2024.

Professor Adeyeye said the transition window has now elapsed, making strict enforcement unavoidable.

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She reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to sustained regulatory action, stressing that protecting children and youths remains a central priority of the agency’s public health mandate.