The Federal Government kicked off a nationwide enforcement and awareness campaign on Tuesday to uphold the ban on sachet alcohol and bottles smaller than 200ml.
The initiative, launched in Abuja, is a joint effort between the National Orientation Agency (NOA), NAFDAC, and the FCCPC.
Persecondnews recalls that the ban, which took effect on January 1, 2026, prohibits the production, distribution and sale of alcohol in sachets and small PET and glass bottles under 200ml, as part of efforts to curb underage drinking and harmful consumption patterns.
Speaking at a media briefing, NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the enforcement followed years of consultations, extensions and alarming survey findings.
“We are here to ensure that the ban on sachet alcohol and alcohol in small bottles less than 200 ml is enforced across all age groups in Nigeria.
“The availability and easy access to alcohol have been identified as a contributory factor to the increasing alcohol consumption among minors,” she said.
Adeyeye traced the regulatory efforts back to 2018, when industry groups raised concerns about the economic implications of tighter controls.
“In 2018, the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees and the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria approached NAFDAC via the Ministry of Health regarding efforts to reduce the concentration of alcohol in sachets.
“By that time, it was like 50 per cent in the sachet; beer is about six to eight per cent. You can imagine how concentrated that is, and the fact that it is easy to access and conceal,” she said.
She noted that the former Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, granted the trade groups a five-year moratorium which expired in February 2024, prompting enforcement action in line with NAFDAC’s statutory mandate.
Further delays followed until December 2024, when the current Minister of Health, Muhammad Ali Pate, approved an additional one-year extension.
The Senate later directed the agency to resume strict enforcement.
Adeyeye said national survey findings reinforced the urgency of the ban.
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