NAFDAC Commences Enforcement Of Sachet Alcohol Ban

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has commenced enforcement of the ban on sachet and small-packaged alcoholic beverages.

Director of Investigation at NAFDAC, Mr Martins Iluyomade, disclosed this during an interview on ARISE News on Thursday, saying the enforcement exercise began earlier this week and is progressing steadily despite logistical challenges.

Iluyomade said the agency is currently focusing on halting production at factories and securing warehouse stocks to prevent the banned products from entering Nigerian markets.

“We just started on Monday, and this is day four. So far, it’s been going very well. We cannot cover everywhere on the same day at the same time, but we are monitoring closely.

“We are moving at a very good speed. We are getting people to comply, and we’ve had a lot of companies complying,” he said.

Explaining the rationale behind the ban, Iluyomade said it was driven primarily by public health concerns, particularly the rising abuse of highly concentrated alcohol among young people and children.

He noted that NAFDAC had observed an increase in harmful social behaviours linked to the easy accessibility of sachet alcohol, with wider implications for public safety.

“Alcohol has been described as a psychoactive substance, and it contributes significantly to health burdens.

“It affects children, it affects young people, and it also contributes to insecurity. That was why, by 2018, NAFDAC decided that enough was enough.

“Even the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.5 talks about preventing unnecessary access to alcohol because of its impact on people,” he said.

Iluyomade stressed that the ban was not sudden, noting that manufacturers were given a five-year moratorium to adjust.

“That engagement has been going on since 2018. The ban is not on alcohol itself; it is about preventing easy access to highly potent alcohol among youths and young adults,” he said.

He explained that sachet alcohol made abuse easier due to its affordability and portability.

“You can buy it for ₦100, put several sachets in your pocket, and consume it easily,” he added.

“All of these factors led us to work with the industry from 2018 and agree on a gradual phase-out. Unfortunately, compliance did not happen as expected, so enforcement had to begin.”

Addressing concerns about banned products re-entering the market, Iluyomade said NAFDAC deliberately opted to stop production at the source by shutting down production lines and securing warehouse stocks before moving to open markets.

“All the products we have stopped will be evacuated and properly accounted for, so they do not re-enter the system,” he said.

On resistance from manufacturers and concerns over economic losses, Iluyomade said public health remained NAFDAC’s top priority, although extensive consultations had been held with stakeholders.

“There is no perfect system. Anytime you implement a regulation, some people will feel aggrieved. But we cannot talk only about economic impact without looking at the broader effect on society.

“As regulators, we have a mandate to protect Nigerians. The burden is on us to do the right thing at the right time. I want to believe we are on the same page now,” he said.

“Nobody is banning alcohol. What we are banning is the small sachet packaging that is easily accessible and allows people to get intoxicated very easily. Alcohol production itself has not been stopped,” Iluyomade added.

He noted that while the products may not be illegal by formulation, their potency remains a major concern.

According to him, the enforcement exercise will continue in phases, with market-level operations to follow, as NAFDAC moves to fully implement the ban nationwide.