By JKNewsMedia Reporter
. . .Agency says no factories shut as Senate-backed directive targets only sub-200ml packaging linked to underage drinking and addiction
STREET KIOSKS and neighbourhood bars across Nigeria will no longer stock alcohol in sachets or miniature bottles as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) moves decisively to enforce a nationwide ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages packaged below 200 millilitres.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that the renewed enforcement, ordered by the Senate and supported by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMHSW), targets what regulators describe as a growing public health crisis driven by the easy availability of cheap, concealable alcohol to children, adolescents and commercial drivers.
NAFDAC also clarified that no alcohol manufacturing company has been shut down, stressing that the restriction applies strictly to sachets and small-volume PET or glass bottles.
A statement signed by the Director-General, Prof Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, in Abuja on January 28, 2026, said the agency’s action aligns with its statutory responsibility to protect vulnerable Nigerians from the harmful use of alcohol.
She adds that the proliferation of high-alcohol drinks sold in sachets and tiny bottles has made the products inexpensive, portable and easy to conceal from parents and teachers, fuelling widespread misuse among minors.
The agency then linked the trend to rising cases of:
▪️domestic violence
▪️ road traffic accidents
▪️ school dropouts
▪️youth addiction
▪️ broader social vices in communities
The DG also noted that warning labels such as “not for children” have proved ineffective in Nigeria’s social context because the packaging allows underage drinkers to hide consumption.
“Many parents don’t even know their children take alcohol in sachets because the pack size can be easily concealed and the sachet is cheap,” she further said.
School reports cited by regulators suggest the problem is already entrenched.
One teacher reportedly told NAFDAC that a student admitted he could not sit an examination without first consuming sachet alcohol.
The enforcement follows years of advance notice to manufacturers.
In December 2018, NAFDAC, the Federal Ministry of Health (FMH) 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) to phase out sachet and small-volume alcohol packaging by January 31, 2024.
The moratorium was later extended to December 2025 to allow companies exhaust existing stock and reconfigure production lines.
NAFDAC said the current Senate resolution merely activates the spirit and letter of that agreement.
Officials also tied the policy to Nigeria’s international obligations under the World Health Assembly Global Strategy (WHAGS) to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol (WHA63.13), which the country adopted in 2010.
The strategy prioritises protecting young people and limiting high-risk access to alcohol.
Under the new enforcement:
▪️sachet-packaged spirit drinks are banned
▪️PET or glass bottles below 200ml are banned
▪️larger pack sizes remain approved
Prof Adeyeye described the measure as a public health intervention rather than an economic sanction.
“This ban is not punitive; it is protective,” she said.
“It is aimed at safeguarding the health and future of our children and youth by not allowing alcohol in small pack sizes. The decision is rooted in scientific evidence and public health considerations.
“We cannot continue to sacrifice the wellbeing of Nigerians for economic gain. The health of a nation is its true wealth.”
NAFDAC therefore called on manufacturers, distributors and retailers to comply fully, warning that no further extension will be granted beyond December 2025.
The agency said it will work with the MoH, FCCPC and the NOA to launch nationwide sensitisation campaigns highlighting the health and social dangers of alcohol misuse.
JKNewsMedia.com reports NAFDAC as saying that it remains resolute in its mission to ensure that only safe, wholesome and properly regulated products are available to Nigerians,” the statement added.
