The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has explained that the restriction on sachet alcohol is primarily designed to protect children from easy access to highly potent alcoholic beverages.
Adeyeye made the clarification on Friday, the 30th of January, 2026, during an interview on Arise Television.
She outlined NAFDAC’s regulatory responsibilities, noting that alcohol falls within the agency’s mandate as part of food products under its supervision.
She said, “The mandate of NAFDAC is to regulate and control the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale and use of seven regulated products, including alcohol under food.
“Upon assuming office in 2017, I was notified by my directors about sachet alcohol.
“Some of these sachet alcohol beverages have an alcohol content of 44 percent and can be easily squeezed into the pocket of a secondary school student because of their accessibility.
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“We had an agreement with manufacturers, Ministry of Health, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission FCCPC and Association of Food Beverage and Tobacco Employers, AFBTE, to give a five-year period to end the sale of alcohol in sachet packaging.
“We’re not banning alcohol; we’re banning sachet alcohol packaging.”
Adeyeye stressed that the policy was the outcome of extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders and was implemented after a grace period agreed upon by regulators and industry players, with the aim of reducing underage exposure to strong alcoholic drinks.