Distillers, under the aegis of the Food, Beverages and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) and the National Union of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employees, yesterday, barricaded both entrance gates of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Lagos office, preventing members of staff from gaining access to the facility.

The protesters insisted that as long as their products remain banned and workers are barred from factories, no NAFDAC workers would be granted access to their facility.

National Secretary of FOBTOB, Jeffery Igein, while addressing journalists at the protest ground, said that despite the Federal Government’s directive to NAFDAC to suspend the ongoing ban to allow for further consultations and review, the agency had failed to implement that directive, claiming it hadn’t received any formal memo.

He said that their action of blocking the entrance was meant to draw attention to their plight and compel the authorities to respond.

Also, National President of FOBTOB, Jimoh Oyibo, appealed to the Federal Government to save indigenous manufacturers from what he described as “total shutdown” of local industries.

He said that the ban had affected some warehouses containing other lawful goods not directly related to the targeted products, attributing the move to the NAFDAC DG, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye.

According to him, rather than adopting targeted controls, entire production facilities and distribution chains have been shut down, causing economic disruption.

Also in a statement, yesterday, the Association of Food, Beverage & Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) questioned why entire facilities were being shut instead of applying controlled and targeted regulation.

It also queried why lawful businesses, workers, transporters, retailers and suppliers were being collectively punished.

However, a member of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Anthony Oyega, who spoke with journalists, said the ban would have a ripple and multiplier effect on the economy.