The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control announced in Abuja on Tuesday that enforcement of the total ban on sachet and small PET bottle alcohol will begin in January 2026.

NAFDAC director-general Mojisola Adeyeye stated this at a press conference, reaffirming the agency’s commitment to protecting public health and restating that its responsibility to safeguard the nation’s well-being remains paramount.

Ms Adeyeye said the enforcement would ensure full compliance with the total ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles with a capacity of less than 200ml by December 2025.

She explained that the move aligned with the recent Senate directive and was fully supported by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, aimed at protecting Nigerians from the harmful effects of alcohol consumption.

According to Ms Adeyeye, the measure underscores NAFDAC’s statutory duty to safeguard public health and shield vulnerable groups, especially children and young adults, from the harmful consequences of excessive alcohol consumption.

She warned that the proliferation of high-alcohol-content beverages in sachets and small containers made them affordable and concealable, contributing to addiction, misuse, and reckless behaviour among minors and commercial drivers.

Ms Adeyeye added that the menace had been linked to increased domestic violence, road crashes, school dropouts, and several social vices, which had continued to destabilise families and communities nationwide.

“In December 2018, NAFDAC, the Federal Ministry of Health, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) signed a five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) and the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN).

“The agreement initially set January 31, 2024, as the deadline but was later extended to December 2025 to allow manufacturers to reconfigure facilities and exhaust existing stock,” Ms Adeyeye explained.

She said the new Senate resolution aligned with that agreement and Nigeria’s commitment to the World Health Organisation’s Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol, adopted in 2010.

“This ban is not punitive but protective. It aims to secure the health and future of our children and youth, based on scientific evidence and global public health standards,” she said.

She stressed that NAFDAC could not continue to compromise Nigerians’ well-being for short-term economic gains, emphasizing that a nation’s true wealth lies in the health of its people.

Ms Adeyeye clarified that only spirit drinks packaged in sachets and small PET or glass bottles with a capacity of less than 200ml were affected by the regulation, which is to be enforced by January 2026.

She urged all stakeholders, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to comply fully with the December 2025 phase-out deadline, warning that no further extension would be granted by the agency.

She said NAFDAC would collaborate with the health ministry, FCCPC, and the National Orientation Agency to intensify national sensitisation campaigns on the social and health risks associated with alcohol misuse.

Ms Adeyeye reaffirmed that NAFDAC remained resolute in ensuring that only safe, wholesome, and properly regulated products were available to Nigerians in line with its mandate to protect public health.

(NAN)