Protests against the ban on alcoholic drinks in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) continued on Tuesday at the agency’s headquarters along the Oshodi–Apapa Expressway, Lagos.
Groups both for and against the ban gathered at the premises, displaying placards with contrasting messages. The protest entered its third day on Tuesday, having started last Friday.
Placards displayed by groups opposing the ban accused the Director-General of NAFDAC of working against the administration of President Bola Tinubu and alleged that the agency was favouring multinational companies at the expense of indigenous producers.
Some of the inscriptions read: “DG of NAFDAC is working against Tinubu’s government”; “DG of NAFDAC should stop working for the multi-nationals and protect indigenous producers”, and “Stop destroying local manufacturers”.
Other placards questioned the basis of the ban, stating that there was “No empirical evidence of underage abuse of alcohol drinks in sachet and PET bottles below 200ml,” while warning that “5.5 million Nigerians cannot be pushed to the streets”.
Meanwhile, protesters in support of NAFDAC’s action carried placards urging the agency to maintain the ban. Their messages included: “NAFDAC do the needful, our lives are precious”; “NAFDAC don’t let them kill us with sachet alcohol”, and “Alcoholic sachet drinks is killing Nigerians. It must be banned.”
Some placards called for a distinction between sachet alcohol and other forms, reading: “Don’t ban alcoholic drinks, ban sachet alcohol.” Others warned of the health implications of sachet products, with inscriptions such as “Fenuja is poisonous. Ban sachet alcoholic drinks,” and “Stop ruining the future Nigeria. Ban sachet alcohol.”
Speaking on behalf of a group backing the NAFDAC decision, Babatunde Adeshina said their position was against the unchecked circulation of sachet and small PET bottle alcoholic drinks, which he described as harmful to society.
He stressed that the group’s agitation was driven by national interest and concern for Nigeria’s future.
His words: “I am a concerned citizen of Nigeria protesting, agitating against such alcohol. We want the government not to ban alcohol. Alcohol is used for different beneficial purposes, as well as for celebration and fun. But we want the government to ban such alcohol (sachet and PET bottle below 200ml).
“It is causing damage to the future of Nigeria. It is causing environmental pollution and different types of hazards. That’s my purpose of being here today”, he said.
Recall that the Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, on Friday stated that enforcement of the ban would continue, stressing that only government legislation could halt the action.
The ongoing protest reflects growing public concern over the impact of sachet and small-sized alcoholic beverages on public health, environmental safety, and youth development in Nigeria.
While some demonstrators have called for a total reversal of the policy, others insist that the ban is a necessary intervention to curb abuse, reduce waste pollution, and protect vulnerable populations from easy access to alcohol.
