National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has clarified that it has not shut down any alcohol-producing company, while enforcing the ban on alcoholic beverages in sachets and small plastic or glass bottles below 200 millilitres.

Responding to claims raised during the protests against the ban, Adeyeye stressed that NAFDAC had not shut down any alcohol-producing company. She clarified that the regulation affects only spirit drinks packaged in sachets and in PET or glass bottles below 200ml, while alcohol in larger, approved packaging remains legal.

According to the agency, the enforcement, in line with a recent resolution of the Nigerian Senate and supported by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, is aimed at protecting public health, especially children, adolescents, and young adults, from the harmful use of alcohol.

Addressing public concerns, the NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the agency’s action targeted only alcohol packaged in sachets and containers smaller than 200ml, not manufacturers.

“NAFDAC did not close down any company that makes alcohol. The agency only bans alcohol in sachets and small containers less than 200ml,” she said.

In a statement yesterday, Adeyeye explained that the policy was intended as a public health intervention rather than a punitive measure.

Adeyeye noted that the widespread availability of high-alcohol-content drinks in sachets and small containers had contributed to alcohol misuse among minors and some commercial drivers.

She recalled that manufacturers had been granted a moratorium since 2018 to phase out sachet and small-volume alcohol packaging.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has insisted on evidence-based regulation and respect for due process on the sachet alcohol ban.

According to a statement signed yesterday by the Director General of NECA, Wale-Smatt Oyerinde, the ban by NAFDAC directly contradicts the directive of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation dated December 15, 2025, suspending the ban, as well as the resolution of the House of Representatives of 14 March 2024, which called for restraint and broader stakeholder engagement.

The statement further noted that continued enforcement was already disrupting legitimate businesses, unsettling ongoing investments, placing thousands of jobs at risk, and weakening confidence in Nigeria’s regulatory stability at a time when investor trust is critical.

NECA, therefore, calls for the immediate suspension of the ongoing enforcement actions, in line with the Federal Government’s earlier directive, and urges a return to structured, evidence-based dialogue among regulators, industry, public health experts, and consumer representatives.