Protesters from Nigeria’s alcoholic beverage sector converged on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) office in Isolo on Friday, decrying the enforcement of a nationwide prohibition on alcohol sold in sachets and small PET bottles, a measure they say could displace millions of workers and jeopardise local industries.
The demonstration was organised by key industry unions including the Food, Beverages and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) and the National Union of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE), both affiliates of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). Union leaders accused NAFDAC of undermining national policy and inflicting economic harm under the guise of regulation.
At the heart of the protest was a stark warning from union leaders that enforcement of the ban would result in massive job losses across the distilling and distribution value chain. According to Solomon Adebosin, Executive Secretary of FOBTOB, up to 5.5 million direct and indirect jobs could be affected if the ban proceeds unchecked.
“We have 500,000 Nigerians working directly in this sector and over five million working indirectly, and they are going to be affected,” Adebosin told journalists at the protest ground in Lagos. “Access and control are what we should be talking about. Let us be able to put control on these things such that children and minors do not have access to them.”
He framed the dispute as not simply a matter of labour rights but as one with broader consequences for the national economy and the government’s wider economic agenda. “The policy undermined the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, which seeks to attract investment into the country,” Adebosin asserted, urging the presidency to intervene.
Union representatives accused NAFDAC of acting independently and in contradiction to a previous directive from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, which had ordered a suspension of enforcement to allow for stakeholder consultation. They said the agency ignored that instruction and moved ahead after receiving a fresh mandate from the Senate.
Azeez Razaq, Head of the Brewery and Tobacco Department at NUFBTE, condemned the move as harmful to indigenous manufacturers and warned that shutting down industry operations could further exacerbate insecurity by swelling unemployment figures. “Shutting down the companies would result in job losses that could further worsen insecurity in Nigeria,” Razaq said.
NAFDAC’s enforcement of the ban on alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and PET bottles under 200ml follows a directive by the Senate aimed at aligning with global regulatory practices, part of efforts to curb alcohol misuse among minors and vulnerable populations. The agency began enforcing the measure after an initial suspension, stating that products which are “easily accessible, affordable, and concealable” pose significant public health risks.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, reaffirmed that the ban targets small packaging formats with high alcohol concentrations rather than alcohol itself, describing the move as necessary to protect children and young people. Officials also noted that manufacturers were given a transition period of several years to adapt to the policy.
The protest highlights the deepening divide between public health advocates and industry stakeholders. Critics of the ban argue that while its intentions, reducing underage access and consumption, may be legitimate, the economic cost could be devastating without complementary policies or adjustments. Observers have pointed out that industry players had spent heavily on responsible consumption campaigns and that some independent studies dispute the notion that sachet alcohol is the principal driver of underage drinking.
They have also echoed calls from organisations such as Stand Up Nigeria, which argued that the claims linking sachet alcohol to major social vices are “unfounded and untested,” and warned of potential retrenchment of hundreds of thousands of workers and the displacement of millions more across logistics, distribution, and ancillary services.
Industry leaders at the Lagos protest appealed for broader engagement with government, legislators, and civil society to craft a regulatory approach that balances public health goals with economic stability. Some stakeholders have urged a shift from outright prohibition to enhanced access control and targeted regulation, which they believe would more sustainably manage alcohol misuse without devastating employment.
As enforcement continues, the controversy surrounding sachet alcohol regulation remains a significant flashpoint in Nigeria’s ongoing struggle to balance public health priorities with economic livelihoods and sustainable industrial policy.
