The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has reported that 54.3% of minors and under-aged children in the country do buy alcohol for themselves and consume it in the country.
The agency, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, on the findings of a “Survey on Underage Drinking and Abuse Of Alcohol: Access to Alcohol and Frequency of Consumption”, reported that apart from those that buy and consume alcohol by themselves, 49.9% of minors and the underage access alcohol from friends and relatives, 45.9% of them access alcohol at a social gathering, and 21.7% do access the drinks from their parents’ homes.
In addition, the survey, which was sponsored by the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) in collaboration with the NAFDAC conducted in 2021 by Research and Data Solutions Limited, reflected that apart from the minors and the underaged who procure drinks for themselves, 47.2% of minors and 48.8% of the underaged procure drinks in sachets, 41.2% of minors, and 47.2% of the underaged procure drinks in pet bottles, while 27.6% of the underaged procure alcohol in glass bottles.
The survey also revealed that 63.2% of the minors and 54.0% of the underaged consume alcohol occasionally.
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According to the NAFDAC boss, the overall objective of the research is to undertake a national survey of consumers and retailers of alcohol beverages and wines, and to determine the extent of alcohol abuse among under-aged persons in Nigeria.
Adeyeye disclosed that during the survey, which was conducted between June and August 2021, a total of 1,788 respondents in six states across the six geo-political zones of the country were covered, using a multiple-choice questionnaire.
She stated that both the data collectors and enumerators were trained for the survey and that the sample size required to generate sound statistical inferences from the survey was calculated to be 1,712 based on the following parameters: Z-score of 1.96 for 95% confidence level (α=0.05) at 80% statistical power (β=20%).
In addition, the Director-General clarified that rrespondents who were less than 13 years of age were referred to as minors while those who were 13 to 17 years of age were referred to as under-aged and that those 18 years and above were referred to as adults.
In her concluding remarks on the survey’s findings, Adeyeye maintained that access to alcohol by children can be limited if pack sizes that can be easily concealed are not available, and that ban on small pack sizes (sachet and less than 200 ml bottles) can reduce the menace of underage drinking.
She stressed that cconsumption of alcohol should raise alarm for parents, teachers, religious leaders and the community at large.
