•NAFDAC boss, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye and banned sachet alcoholic drinks
Nearly half of minors and underage consumers who procure alcoholic drinks do so through sachets and bottles below 200ml, prompting NAFDAC to take its enforcement battle from manufacturers to Nigeria’s streets, markets, bars and retail outlets.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday commenced a nationwide street-level crackdown to remove prohibited alcoholic beverages from circulation and cut off access at the points where consumers buy them.
The agency said the intensified operation would target markets, motor parks, retail outlets, bars and distribution centres nationwide, marking a decisive expansion of the enforcement campaign beyond manufacturing facilities.
At the centre of the crackdown is research cited by NAFDAC showing the extent to which minors and underage consumers obtain alcohol through the prohibited packaging formats, reports Daily Independent.
According to the agency, 47.2 per cent of minors and 48.8 percent of underage consumers procured alcoholic drinks in sachets.
The research also showed that 41.2 percent of minors and 47.2 percent of underage consumers obtained alcoholic drinks in PET bottles.
For NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, the figures underscore the regulatory concern behind the Federal Government’s prohibition.
“The bottom line is that almost 50 percent of our children buy alcohol in sachets and bottles below 200ml,” Adeyeye said.
She stressed that the government’s action was not directed at alcohol consumption generally, but at packaging formats that make high-alcohol-content products cheap, portable and easily accessible to minors.
NAFDAC said its intensified enforcement would combine seizures, intelligence gathering and sustained surveillance to eliminate the prohibited products from circulation.
The agency also warned that the operation would not be a temporary exercise designed to produce short-lived results.
Adeyeye said NAFDAC had adopted a tiered enforcement strategy, beginning at the manufacturing level before moving progressively down the supply chain to distributors and retailers.
The first tier commenced in January 2026, focusing on manufacturers, with prohibited products discovered at production facilities evacuated and destroyed.
The second tier began in July, extending enforcement to markets, motor parks, retail outlets, bars and distribution centres.
The latest street-level operation now places greater emphasis on the final points of sale where prohibited alcoholic products may remain available to children and young people.
“We are not expecting this to end next week or in two weeks. Our enforcement continues,” Adeyeye said.
The NAFDAC boss issued a direct warning to manufacturers, distributors and retailers against attempts to evade the prohibition.
She said manufacturers whose prohibited products were found in markets would face heavy fines, while offending manufacturing facilities could be permanently shut.
The latest enforcement follows 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 beverages packaged in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml from distributors, warehouses and other points across the supply chain.
The recalled products will undergo inventory verification before being destroyed under NAFDAC supervision, with manufacturers bearing the cost of the exercise.
Facilities shut for violating the ban will also remain closed until NAFDAC verifies that production lines used for prohibited package sizes have been dismantled, permanently disabled or reconfigured.
Adeyeye 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 NAFDAC, prohibited products were already becoming less prevalent in the market following the enforcement exercise.
Adeyeye explained that the agency’s tiered approach was designed to progressively dry up the supply chain by starting at the source and moving through distributors to retailers.
The agency warned that companies failing 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 prohibition is the product of years of consultations between government regulators and industry stakeholders.
NAFDAC 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 accessibility to minors.
A five-year moratorium was subsequently agreed in December 2018, giving manufacturers until January 31, 2024, to reconfigure production lines, migrate to larger packaging formats and phase out sachet and small-volume alcoholic beverages.
When the deadline expired, enforcement commenced but encountered resistance from industry stakeholders and 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 or plastic bottles below 200ml and glass bottles below 200ml.
Adeyeye maintained that the prolonged transition period gave manufacturers sufficient time to adjust their production systems and comply with the prohibition.
With the enforcement now moving deeper into markets and retail channels, NAFDAC is seeking to close the gap between regulatory prohibition and actual availability of the banned products.
The agency urged members of the public to report the manufacture, distribution or sale of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and bottles below 200ml through NAFDAC’s official communication channels or at its nearest office.
Adeyeye said NAFDAC would continue working with other government agencies and industry stakeholders while sustaining enforcement until the prohibited products are eliminated from the Nigerian market.
