…Says almost half of minors procure drinks in prohibited packs
By Chioma Obinna
LAGOS — The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, on Monday commenced a nationwide street-level crackdown on alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and bottles below 200ml, following findings that almost half of minors who procure alcohol do so through the prohibited packaging formats.
The agency said the intensified enforcement would target markets, motor parks, retail outlets, bars and distribution centres nationwide, as it moves beyond manufacturers to the last points of sale where prohibited alcoholic products remain accessible to children and young people.
Addressing a press briefing in Lagos, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, said the agency would deploy seizures, intelligence gathering and sustained surveillance to eliminate the banned products from circulation.
According to her, research that informed the prohibition showed that 47.2 per cent of minors and 48.8 per cent of underage consumers procured alcoholic drinks in sachets, while 41.2 per cent of minors and 47.2 per cent of underage consumers procured them in PET bottles.
“The bottom line is that almost 50 per cent of our children buy alcohol in sachets and bottles below 200ml,” Adeyeye said.
She explained that the Federal Government’s ban was not targeted at alcohol consumption generally, but at packaging formats that make high-alcohol-content products cheap, portable and easily accessible to minors.
“We are not against alcohol consumption itself. We are against the proliferation of high-alcohol products in small, inexpensive containers that make access easier for children and young people,” she said.
Adeyeye said NAFDAC had adopted a tiered enforcement strategy, beginning with manufacturers before moving down the supply chain.
The first tier, which commenced in January 2026, focused on manufacturers, with prohibited products found at production facilities evacuated and destroyed.
The second tier, launched in July, expanded the crackdown to markets, motor parks, retail outlets, bars and distribution centres.
She said the agency would continue the operation through seizures and intelligence-led enforcement, stressing that the exercise would not be a one-off operation.
“We are not expecting this to end next week or in two weeks’ time. Our enforcement continues,” she said.
Adeyeye warned manufacturers, distributors and retailers against attempting to circumvent the ban.
“If you are a manufacturer of alcoholic beverages below 200ml and we find your product in the markets, you will be fined heavily, and the manufacturing facility will be closed down permanently,” she said.
The latest enforcement followed the execution of an Irrevocable Enforcement Undertaking by the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria, DIBAN; the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers, AFBTE; and their member companies.
Under the undertaking, affected manufacturers must immediately recall alcoholic drinks packaged in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml from distributors, warehouses and other points in the supply chain.
The recalled products will be subjected to inventory verification and destruction under NAFDAC supervision, with manufacturers bearing the cost of the exercise.
Adeyeye said facilities shut for violating the ban would not be reopened until the agency had verified that production lines used for the prohibited pack sizes had been dismantled, permanently disabled or reconfigured.
The NAFDAC boss disclosed that the three largest manufacturers, which she said control about 80 per cent of the market, had complied with the directive within the preceding two weeks.
She added that seven companies had fully complied with the requirements.
According to her, prohibited products were already becoming less prevalent in the market following the enforcement.
“Using the tiered approach, you start from the source, then go to the distributor, and then to the retailers. So if the source is getting drier, then it will be drier on the streets,” she explained.
Companies that fail to comply with the enforcement undertaking risk continued closure of their facilities, placement on NAFDAC’s Regulatory Watchlist, suspension or revocation of product registrations and criminal prosecution where applicable.
The ban, according to NAFDAC, followed years of consultations between government regulators and industry stakeholders.
The agency first raised concerns in 2018 over the widespread availability of high-alcohol-content drinks in sachets and small bottles, citing their low cost, portability and easy access by minors.
A five-year moratorium was subsequently agreed in December 2018, giving manufacturers until January 31, 2024, to reconfigure their production lines, shift to larger packaging formats and phase out sachet and small-volume alcoholic beverages.
When the deadline expired, NAFDAC commenced enforcement, but the move faced resistance from industry stakeholders and attracted intervention from the National Assembly.
The Federal Government subsequently extended the moratorium until December 31, 2025.
The full ban took effect on January 1, 2026, covering alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets, PET/plastic bottles below 200ml and glass bottles below 200ml.
Adeyeye said the prolonged transition period provided manufacturers sufficient time to adjust their production systems.
She urged members of the public to report the manufacture, distribution or sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and bottles below 200ml to NAFDAC through its official communication channels or nearest office.
The agency, she said, would continue working with other government agencies and industry stakeholders while sustaining enforcement until the prohibited products are eliminated from the Nigerian market.
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