The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has commenced enforcement of the ban on the production and sale of alcohol in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml.
This is in line with a Senate directive aimed at protecting public health.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this on Wednesday in Lagos during a media parley organised by the agency.
What NAFDAC is saying
Adeyeye explained that the agency had received a matching order from the Senate, which paved the way for the resumption of enforcement activities.
NAFDAC had earlier, on November 11, 2025, announced plans to enforce a total ban on the affected products by December 2025, following a directive from the Senate.
However, implementation was temporarily halted after the Federal Government directed an immediate suspension of all actions related to the ban, pending consultations and a final decision.
According to Adeyeye, those consultations have now been concluded, allowing the agency to proceed.
“We already started the enforcement to ban alcohol production in sachet and bottles below 200ml, after we received order from the senate to proceed,” she said.
Protecting children, youths and vulnerable groups
The NAFDAC boss said the decision was taken to safeguard public health, particularly to protect children, adolescents and young adults from the harmful effects of alcohol abuse.
She noted that the widespread availability of alcohol in sachets and small containers had made such products cheap, easily accessible and easily concealed, increasing the risk of abuse among vulnerable groups.
“NAFDAC is not against alcohol, but we are against its proliferation of high alcohol content in sachet and small bottles, to prevent children from having easy access to it,” Adeyeye stated.
Concerns over high alcohol content
Adeyeye revealed that before her appointment as Director-General, sachet alcohol products contained between 50 and 90 per cent alcohol, which she described as extremely high.
She said the agency had directed manufacturers to reduce the alcohol concentration to 30 per cent, a move that was met with resistance from industry players.
“We asked the manufacturers to reduce the content to 30 per cent, they went directly to the ministry to express their displeasure, citing loss of jobs and investment,” she said.
Five-year grace period expired
According to Adeyeye, the concerns raised by manufacturers led the Federal Government at the time to grant a five-year grace period to allow producers to adjust their operations.
“The then Minister of Health gave them a five-year period between December 2018 and January 31, 2024, to put their business in place,” she added.
She stressed that the grace period had since elapsed, justifying the renewed enforcement action.
Commitment to public health regulation
Adeyeye reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to protecting the health and safety of Nigerians, especially vulnerable groups, through strict regulatory oversight.
She assured that the agency would continue to engage stakeholders while ensuring compliance with public health standards.
What you should know
In November 2025, the Senate had directed NAFDAC and other relevant regulatory agencies to begin full enforcement of the ban on the production and packaging of high-strength alcoholic beverages in sachet formats from December 2025.
The directive followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong on the “Need to halt further extension of the phase-out of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachet formats.”
