From children drinking at age 5 to hidden factories: The full story behind NAFDAC's sachet alcohol crackdown

• NAFDAC says some manufacturers secretly continued producing banned sachet alcohol despite a six-year grace period.

• The agency claims some factories removed signboards, relocated operations and sold products without NAFDAC registration numbers.

• NAFDAC is considering tougher sanctions, including blacklisting companies, while seeking more staff and funding to strengthen enforcement.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has defended its nationwide crackdown on sachet alcohol and alcoholic drinks sold in PET bottles smaller than 200ml, saying the campaign is ultimately about protecting Nigerian children from early alcohol exposure.

The agency's own research backs the concern. 

According to NAFDAC's nationwide survey on underage drinking, 54.3% of minors and underage respondents said they obtained alcohol by themselves. 

In comparison, 47.2% of minors and 48.8% of underage drinkers who purchased alcohol on their own bought it in sachets. 

The findings suggest that small, inexpensive alcohol packs make it easier for children to access and conceal alcoholic drinks.

Speaking on Channels Television, NAFDAC Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye painted a troubling picture of the agency's enforcement efforts. 

She alleged that some manufacturers secretly continued producing banned products despite the crackdown. 

According to her, some moved their operations to unregistered locations, while others removed signboards from their factories to avoid detection. She said the companies ignored years of warnings before the ban finally took effect.

She also disclosed that NAFDAC is weighing tougher sanctions against offending companies, including blacklisting them and confiscating their properties under existing laws.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW BELOW

Adeyeye revealed that some manufacturers allegedly resumed producing banned alcoholic drinks shortly after NAFDAC evacuated their products during the first phase of enforcement.

According to her, inspectors discovered products without NAFDAC registration numbers or manufacturing dates, amounting to multiple regulatory violations.

The agency also said it gathered video evidence showing some companies producing the banned products.

"We caught them right in the act," Adeyeye said, adding that the videos were time-stamped and documented the alleged violations.

One of the most startling claims from the interview was that some manufacturers allegedly tried to hide their operations from regulators.

Adeyeye said some factories removed their signboards so they would be harder to identify, while one company allegedly relocated from Ota to an unregistered facility in Ijoko to continue production.

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While the ban has generated debate among manufacturers and consumers, Adeyeye insisted that NAFDAC's primary concern is protecting children rather than limiting adults' choices.

She argued that adults generally understand the risks of excessive drinking, but children are far more vulnerable, especially because sachet alcohol is cheap, easy to hide and widely available.

"We are doing this because of the children. Not because of adults," she said.

Adeyeye warned that children who begin consuming alcohol at a very young age face serious long-term health and social consequences.

"When a child starts drinking from five years old, nine years old, that is Nigeria without a future," she said.

Her comments echoed findings from NAFDAC's survey, which showed that sachet alcohol remains one of the easiest forms of alcohol for underage drinkers to obtain.

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Responding to suggestions that manufacturers may not have had enough notice before enforcement began, Adeyeye said the industry had been aware of the planned ban for years.

She explained that in December 2018, NAFDAC, the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), food and beverage industry representatives, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Federal Ministry of Health agreed to phase out alcohol sold in sachets and containers smaller than 200ml, giving manufacturers five years to adjust.

When that deadline expired in 2024, the industry sought an extension through the National Assembly. The Federal Government later granted an additional one-year moratorium, bringing the transition period to six years.

According to Adeyeye, the Senate eventually directed that the moratorium should not be extended again and urged NAFDAC to proceed with enforcement.

She also said lawmakers asked the Federal Ministry of Health not to interfere with the agency's work, encouraged the implementation of the National Alcohol Policy and directed the National Orientation Agency to collaborate with NAFDAC on public awareness campaigns.

For Adeyeye, these developments make it difficult for manufacturers to claim they were caught unaware.

The NAFDAC boss said the agency has already sealed three companies allegedly linked to the illegal production of banned alcoholic beverages.

She disclosed that regulators are now considering stronger sanctions permitted under Nigerian law.

Among the options being reviewed are blacklisting offending companies, preventing them from obtaining future NAFDAC approvals, and invoking the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), which could allow authorities to confiscate assets linked to the violations.

However, she stressed that investigations are still ongoing as the agency works to determine how many manufacturers may still be producing the banned products.

"There is nobody that is above the law in this country," Adeyeye said, adding that companies found deliberately violating the government's directive would face consequences.

Asked when those sanctions would be announced, she replied that NAFDAC was "right in the middle" of its investigations and would make its decisions public once the process is complete.

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Beyond the crackdown itself, Adeyeye said one of NAFDAC's biggest challenges is a severe shortage of personnel.

She disclosed that the agency currently has about 2,000 staff serving a country of roughly 240 million people, compared with Indonesia, which has a population of about 280 million and around 20,000 regulatory staff.

While NAFDAC is not asking for that many employees, she said the agency urgently needs at least 5,000 additional staff to improve inspections and enforcement across the country.

"We are stretched thin. We are doing the very best we can do," she said.

Adeyeye also called for stronger financial support for NAFDAC's enforcement operations, noting that although the Federal Task Force established under the agency's legal framework has existed since 2004, it has never received dedicated funding.

She said discussions with the Minister of Finance had been encouraging and expressed confidence that the Federal Government understands the agency's manpower and funding challenges.

According to her, strengthening the federal task force and its counterparts in all 36 states would significantly improve NAFDAC's ability to monitor manufacturers, enforce regulations and protect consumers.

For the agency, the crackdown on sachet alcohol is not just about removing prohibited products from shelves. 

It is also about ensuring that manufacturers comply with the law, preventing underage drinking and giving regulators the resources they need to keep unsafe products out of the Nigerian market.