Members of the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association protested at the Lagos office of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control over continued enforcement of the ban on sachet alcohol, accusing the agency of ignoring directives from federal government offices, Vanguard reports.
Earlier in February 2026, NAFDAC began enforcing a nationwide ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and certain small polyethylene terephthalate bottles as part of public health regulations.
Protests linked to this policy have taken place in Lagos and elsewhere, with industry stakeholders and union members raising concerns about enforcement actions, including sealing of facilities and detention of products.
On Thursday, workers from distiller firms and related production facilities gathered outside the NAFDAC office in Lagos, carrying placards and demanding that products held by the agency be released and that sealed factories and depots be reopened.
The protesters said they were acting on what they described as supposed directives from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the National Security Adviser calling for suspension of enforcement activities pending clarification.
NAFDAC responded through a statement by Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, denying that any formal directive had been received from the Federal Government to halt enforcement of the ban and describing such claims as “false and misleading.”
The agency also said it continued to operate within its statutory mandate to safeguard public health and ensure regulatory compliance in the food and beverage sector, and that enforcement actions, including the ban on sachet alcohol, remained ongoing.
NAFDAC also rejected reports that the protest had shut down its Lagos office, saying its operations continued normally and that a heightened security presence was in place around the premises.
The protest reflects friction between industry workers affected by regulatory enforcement and the national regulator over the implementation of the sachet alcohol ban.
Union members have cited economic losses, job disruptions and broader hardship because of the closure of production lines and detention of products, though NAFDAC maintains it is acting under existing law and regulations.
The regulatory clarification from NAFDAC and statements from federal offices underline the ongoing debate over policy interpretation and enforcement procedures in Nigeria’s beverage industry.
