Protests as NAFDAC refutes directive to lift ban on sachet alcohol
Protests intensified on Thursday as members of the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) continued their action against the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control
Protests intensified on Thursday as members of the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) continued their action against the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) over the enforcement of the sachet alcohol ban.
The workers, who barricaded the NAFDAC Lagos office gate, accused the agency of refusing to comply with what they described as joint directives from the Federal Government to halt enforcement pending full implementation of the National Alcohol Policy.
NAFDAC, however, has dismissed the claims, insisting that reports suggesting it was ordered to suspend enforcement are unverified and amount to fake news and misrepresentation of government position. The agency maintains that it has not received any formal directive instructing it to stop its regulatory actions and that it remains committed to its mandate of protecting public health.
Addressing protesters, Comrade Kolawole Buhari, National Vice President of FOBTOB West, warned that the continued sealing of factories and depots could result in massive job losses across the value chain. According to him, an estimated 5.5 million jobs are at risk if enforcement actions persist.
“This action threatens 5.5 million jobs. It is against the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. When jobs are lost, the same children the government says it wants to protect will be pushed onto the streets,” Buhari said.
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Also speaking, Comrade Lanre Yusuf, National Deputy President of FOBTOB, described the NAFDAC Director-General’s stance as being contrary to the position of the Federal Government. He maintained that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) had issued a joint directive advising that enforcement measures be paused.
“The Federal Government, through the SGF and the Office of the National Security Adviser, has given a directive. The Director-General should respect that directive and immediately reopen all factories and depots that were sealed,” Yusuf stated.
The controversy stems from a clarification issued by the Special Adviser on Public Affairs to the SGF, Terrence Kuanum, indicating that while the National Alcohol Policy had been approved by the Federal Ministry of Health under the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, regulatory enforcement actions such as sealing factories should be put on hold until the policy is fully operationalised.
