The Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) has staged a peaceful protest at the Lagos office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) over the ban on the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets.
The association was also joined by members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The protesters were seen carrying placards with inscriptions like ‘Stop destroying local manufacturers’, ‘N2 trillion investment deserves protection’, ‘5.5 million Nigerians cannot be pushed to the streets’, and ‘The Renewed Hope Agenda must work for all Nigerians’.
The senate had directed the agency to end the nationwide production of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small bottles by December 2025, following a motion by Asuquo Ekpenyong, senator representing Cross River south.
Following the directive, NAFDAC announced that it would begin enforcing a total ban on the affected products by December 2025.
Speaking on Wednesday during a media briefing in Lagos, Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general of NAFDAC, said the enforcement drive is aimed at protecting public health and vulnerable groups, saying “The proliferation of high-alcohol-content beverages in sachets and small containers has made such products easily accessible, affordable, and concealable”.
