Two of Nigeria’s foremost public health advocacy organisations have unequivocally thrown their support behind the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as it moves to enforce a ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages packaged in small sachets, PET bottles, and glass bottles of 200ml and below, effective December 2025.
The Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED) and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) described NAFDAC’s decision as a long-overdue public health intervention essential for safeguarding the welfare of the nation’s children, youths, and other vulnerable citizens.
In a joint statement issued on Sunday, the organisations aligned with NAFDAC's view that the aggressive marketing, low pricing, and highly accessible packaging of these products have made highly potent alcohol dangerously available, particularly to minors.
They argued that this accessibility is a major contributor to rising addiction rates, increased social disorder, road crashes, and a surge in non-communicable diseases across Nigeria.
The joint statement came amid pushback from a segment of the manufacturing industry, notably the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), which has warned that the ban could trigger a massive decline in investment and widespread retrenchment.
NHED and CAPPA outright condemned these industry objections, dismissing them as a familiar scare tactic to push the government to prioritise commercial greed over public health.
“We reject in its entirety the claims by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) that the ban will trigger a loss of over N1.9 trillion in investment and lead to the retrenchment of over 500,000 workers,” the organisations stated.
They insisted that such figures are not only inflated and unverifiable, but also typical of the tactics used globally by alcohol and tobacco corporations when faced with regulations on harmful products.
Furthermore, they countered the job loss narrative by pointing out that the manufacturing process for these small-format products is largely mechanised, requiring relatively limited human effort, which renders the claims of huge job losses contrived.
The advocates accused industry actors of choosing to weaponise economic misinformation to blackmail the Nigerian government and its regulatory agencies, rather than engaging honestly with evidence-based public health policies.
They labelled this behaviour as irresponsible, deceptive, and unbecoming of entities that claim to operate ethically.
Dr Jerome Mafeni, NHED’s Technical Director, emphasised the critical need to prioritise lives over profit, stating that “The long term social and economic costs of alcohol-related harm far outweigh any short-term profits that manufacturers seek to protect.”
Dr Mafeni highlighted the escalating burden on the nation, which includes increased alcohol-related violence, reduced productivity, soaring healthcare costs, and a growing addiction crisis among the youth.
He revealed how these harms disproportionately affect poor and marginalised communities, who are the specific target audience for sachet alcohol products.
“It is unacceptable that children can purchase high-concentration alcoholic products for as little as ₦100. It is equally unacceptable that manufacturers have, for years, prioritised profit over the safety and well-being of Nigerians,” he asserted.
For Akinbode Oluwafemi, government regulation to protect public health is non-negotiable. He stressed that NAFDAC’s decision aligns with global best practices and mirrors what responsible governments worldwide have done to curb harmful alcohol consumption.
“No credible public health agency anywhere would permit the continued marketing of such products in packaging designed to encourage unrestricted, on-the-go, and underage drinking,” Oluwafemi added.
The advocates commended NAFDAC for resisting corporate bullying and for standing firmly on the side of science, public health, and national interest.
They also called upon key government bodies, including the Federal Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and the National Orientation Agency (NOA), to support the agency in ensuring the seamless and full implementation of the ban.
In a final appeal, NHED and CAPPA urged the highest level of government not to yield to corporate pressure.
“We urge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly to see through the industry’s theatrics and avoid any attempt to suspend, water down, or delay this life-saving policy.
“The well-being of over 200 million citizens must not be sacrificed at the altar of corporate profit,” they concluded.
#NAFDACBan #AlcoholSachetBan #PublicHealthNigeria #CAPPA #NHED #AlcoholControl
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