The Federal Government on Tuesday formally flagged off a nationwide enforcement and public enlightenment campaign on the ban of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and small PET and glass bottles below 200 millilitres.

The joint press conference, held in Abuja, was organised by the National Orientation Agency in collaboration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

The ban, which took effect on January 1, 2026, targets the production, distribution, and sale of alcohol in sachets and bottles smaller than 200ml. The measure is part of efforts to curb underage drinking and harmful consumption patterns.

Speaking at the briefing, NAFDAC Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, said the enforcement followed years of consultations, extensions, and alarming survey findings on alcohol consumption among minors.

“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 explained that discussions around regulating high-concentration alcohol in sachets date back to 2018, when industry groups raised concerns about the impact on their businesses.

“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. We did not know how bad it was.

“However, the Ministry of Health called all of us, including FCCPC. DIBAN and AFBTE said that their businesses would be destroyed,” she said.

According to Adeyeye, the former Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, granted the trade groups a five-year moratorium to restructure their operations, which elapsed in February 2024, prompting NAFDAC to begin enforcement in line with its statutory mandate.

“In 2024, February 1, five years later, we started enforcement because our mandate is to regulate and control the manufacturing, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale, and use of self-regulated products.

“They resisted us and took us to the committee on NAFDAC at the National Assembly, which told us to suspend what we were doing,” she said.

Further delays followed until December 2024, when the Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Pate, granted an additional one-year extension. The Senate later directed the agency to resume strict enforcement.

Central to the renewed enforcement, Adeyeye said, were findings from national surveys assessing the impact of sachet alcohol on underage Nigerians.

“The results were damning. It was found that 54.3 per cent of minors and underage individuals obtain alcohol by themselves from various sources.

“About 49.9 per cent of them patronise retailers of drinks sold in sachet packs and PET bottles. Approximately 50 per cent of our children drink alcohol. Of those who procure drinks for themselves, 47.2 per cent of minors and 48.8 per cent of underage individuals obtain drinks in sachets because they are easy to conceal.

“Whether you are a good parent or a bad parent, it doesn’t really matter. These sachets are easy to conceal, and that is what NAFDAC has banned,” she said.

The DG added that children as young as nine years old were found to consume alcohol in the survey, with binge drinking notably reported in some states.

Highlighting the health implications, she said underage drinking poses grave risks.

“Alcohol can damage the hippocampus, the memory centre in the brain, and the prefrontal cortex, leading to permanent issues with learning, memory, and impulse control.

“Binge drinking is common, risking alcohol poisoning which can cause fatal shutdowns of breathing and heart rate. Youth who begin drinking before age 15 are 41 per cent more likely to become dependent on alcohol. T

“he study also shows that they may graduate to using cocaine and other narcotics,” Adeyeye said.

She linked alcohol abuse to broader social challenges, adding, “In our country, it is responsible for banditry. It is responsible for kidnapping. You cannot be in your right mind and point a gun at somebody. It starts with alcohol and then goes on to hard drugs.”

Concluding her remarks, she said: “Access to alcohol by children can be limited if pack sizes such as sachets and small bottles that can be easily concealed are not available. And that ban is going to ensure that.

“A ban on small pack sizes can reduce the menace of underage drinking. Consumption of alcohol should raise alarm for parents, teachers, religious leaders, and the community at large.”

In his address, the Director-General of NOA, Lanre Issa-Onilu, described the campaign as a united front to protect Nigerians.

“Today, we are taking a united stand for the health, safety, and protection of Nigerian consumers. For too long, sachet alcohol has been dangerously accessible.

“It is inexpensive, portable, and easy to conceal. In many rural and semi-urban communities, it became easier for a young person to obtain high-strength alcohol than to access proper guidance and protection. When affordability meets vulnerability, the consequences are profound,” he said.

Issa-Onilu said NOA would deploy its nationwide structures to drive awareness and compliance.

“With 818 offices nationwide and operational structures across all 774 Local Government Areas, we will ensure that this message reaches every community.

“Let it be clearly stated: consumer protection is public protection. Market responsibility is national responsibility. When products undermine health and safety, the government must act in the interest of the people.

“No nation prospers when its youth are caught in cycles of preventable addiction. No society advances when harmful practices become normalised,” he said.

He urged parents, community leaders, retailers, and distributors to comply with the new policy and support enforcement efforts.

“Together, through awareness, compliance, and collective vigilance, we can build a healthier, safer, and more responsible nation,” he stated. ((PUNCH)

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