Miffed by the insistence of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to enforce its ban on alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and small PET bottles, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has urged the Federal Government to restrain the agency from banning the products in view of the negative implications for the economy.
Director-General of the association, Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir, who made the call to the Federal Government in a statement stressed that the regulatory agency’s action contradicted directives from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) issued on Dec. 15, 2025, suspending the implementation of the ban.
Ajayi-Kadir maintained the renewed enforcement by it was contrary to a March 14, 2024 resolution of the House of Representatives, which followed a public hearing with stakeholders, and restrained NAFDAC from banning sachet and PET-bottled alcoholic beverages.
According to him, the insistence of the NAFDAC to enforce the ban on the products is sending confusing signals to operators in the wines and spirits sector and disrupting legitimate businesses.
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Noting that sachet and PET-bottled alcoholic beverages are being manufactured to serve adult consumers with low purchasing power, the industrialist explained that the smaller packages of the alcoholic beverages could help curb excessive consumption rather than encourage abuse.
Ajayi-Kadir, who insisted that the locally produced sachet alcoholic beverages were manufactured under hygienic conditions and duly certified by regulatory agencies, including NAFDAC, cautioned that outright ban of the products could encourage the proliferation of illicit and unregulated products that pose greater health risks.
He also debunked NAFDAC’s claims that the products promote underage drinking, saying such assertions had been contradicted by empirical research.
The Director-General further clarified: “We would like to further place on record that the untested assertion of abuse by minors as the basis for the ban has been debated by credible and empirical research that was independently conducted.
“The industry, on its own, has even gone further, notwithstanding the report of the survey, to initiate a series of campaigns in respect of responsible alcohol consumption to discourage underage abuse.
“This has so far cost the operators over a billion Naira in advertisements at all levels of media outreach across the federation.
“This has been very impactful in discouraging abuse by underage persons and has deepened the access restriction landscape”, he stressed.
Ajayi-Kadir maintained that the ban had been threatening jobs, livelihoods and government revenue, while also encouraging smuggling and importation of unregulated alternatives.
He restated the manufacturers’ commitment to working with regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with standards.
