Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has launched a decisive nationwide enforcement operation against the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small-volume PET and glass bottles below 200 millilitres, warning that manufacturers who continue to flout the ban will face permanent facility closures, heavy fines, and potential prosecution under the Proceeds of Crime Act. The agency's Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this on Monday, August 24, 2026, during a press briefing in Lagos, where she announced that seven manufacturers had fully complied with the ban while the three largest producers, which control about 80 per cent of the market, had fallen in line within the preceding two weeks.
The ban, which took full effect on January 1, 2026, covers all alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets, PET or plastic bottles below 200ml, and glass bottles below 200ml. According to Adeyeye, the policy was not an abrupt decision but the culmination of years of consultations between regulators, industry stakeholders, and government agencies dating back to 2018, when NAFDAC first raised concerns over the widespread availability of high-alcohol-content drinks in cheap, easily concealed, and readily accessible packaging that made them particularly attractive to minors.
The agency's enforcement strategy is being implemented in tiers, moving systematically from manufacturers to distributors and then to retailers, to ensure that prohibited alcoholic beverages are completely removed from circulation. "The steps we are taking are no small steps. Using the tiered approach, you start from the source, then go to the distributor, and then to the retailers. So if the source is getting drier, then it will be drier on the streets," Adeyeye said. The first tier of enforcement began in January 2026 at the manufacturing level, where prohibited products found in facilities were evacuated and destroyed. By July, the agency had escalated the operation to nationwide mop-up exercises targeting markets, motor parks, retail outlets, bars, and distribution centres.
The crackdown has already resulted in factory closures and arrests in cases where continued production of sachet alcohol was discovered. The Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) and the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) have been required to sign Irrevocable Enforcement Undertakings on behalf of their members, committing them to stop manufacturing the prohibited products. Under these undertakings, affected manufacturers must immediately recall all banned alcoholic beverages from distributors, warehouses, and other points across the supply chain, and submit periodic compliance reports to NAFDAC.
Adeyeye has made it abundantly clear that there will be no further extensions or leniency for defaulters. Manufacturers who continue to produce or allow the banned products to remain in circulation will face severe regulatory sanctions, including continued closure of their facilities, placement on NAFDAC's Regulatory Watchlist, suspension or revocation of product registrations, and criminal prosecution where applicable. "If you are a manufacturer of alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles less than 200ml and we find your product in the market, you will be fined heavily. And the manufacturing facility will be closed down permanently. We will use POCA, Proceeds of Crime Law, to deal with such manufacturing," Adeyeye warned.
The agency has also imposed investigative charges on defaulting companies found to have violated regulatory directives, requiring them to settle the applicable charges within the stipulated period and comply fully with all regulatory directives. Before any sealed facility can be reopened, NAFDAC requires satisfactory evidence that the production lines used for the prohibited package sizes have been dismantled, permanently disabled, or reconfigured to prevent further production. Such dismantling or reconfiguration must be carried out under the direct supervision and verification of NAFDAC officers.
The recall and destruction of the banned products will be conducted under NAFDAC's supervision, with manufacturers bearing the full cost of the exercise. All recalled products will be subjected to inventory verification before destruction. The reopening of affected facilities will also depend on full compliance with the recall directive, payment of all applicable investigative charges and regulatory fees, successful destruction of recalled products, and satisfactory inspection and certification by NAFDAC.
The policy is driven by compelling public health data. Research cited by NAFDAC shows that 47.2 per cent of minors and 48.8 per cent of underage persons procure alcoholic drinks in sachets, while 41.2 per cent of minors and 47.2 per cent of underage persons procure them in PET bottles. "The bottom line is that almost 50 per cent of our children buy alcohol in sachets and bottles below 200ml," Adeyeye said. She stressed that the ban is not targeted at alcohol consumption generally but at packaging formats that make high-alcohol-content products cheap, portable, and easily accessible to minors.
The enforcement, which began in earnest on Monday, is expected to be sustained over the coming months. Adeyeye made it clear that the operation would not be a one-off exercise. "We are not expecting this to end next week or in two weeks' time. Our enforcement continues," she said. The agency has deployed enforcement teams across the country to monitor compliance and ensure that banned products are removed from circulation. NAFDAC has also urged consumers, retailers, and distributors to report the continued sale of banned alcoholic drinks to the agency as enforcement continues nationwide.
The ban on sachet and small-volume alcoholic beverages has been a long and contentious journey. NAFDAC first raised concerns in 2018, and a five-year moratorium was subsequently agreed in December 2018, giving manufacturers until January 31, 2024, to reconfigure their production lines and phase out the products. When the deadline expired, NAFDAC commenced enforcement, but resistance from industry stakeholders and intervention by the National Assembly resulted in another extension until December 31, 2025. The ban finally took full effect on January 1, 2026. With the grace period now well behind them, manufacturers who still harbour hopes of further extensions are running out of time, and NAFDAC's message is clear: the days of sachet and small-bottle alcohol in Nigeria are over.
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