Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), says the ban on alcohol in small pack sizes remains the best solution to tackle underage drinking.
Adeyeye stated this at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday to mark the commencement of nationwide enforcement of the ban on sachet alcoholic drinks.
The enforcement is being carried out by NAFDAC, the National Orientation Agency (NOA), and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
The NAFDAC boss said restricting access to sachets and small-volume bottles — which can be easily concealed — would limit children’s access to alcohol.
According to her, alcohol is one of the most widely abused substances among youths.
Adeyeye noted that several studies show a rapid increase in alcohol availability, production, importation, and consumption across age groups in recent decades.
She added that easy access to alcohol has been identified as a key factor in rising consumption among minors.
Adeyeye recalled that in 2018, the Association of Food and Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE) and the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DBAN) — both part of the NAFDAC council — reported NAFDAC management to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare over efforts to reduce alcohol concentration in sachets.
“In 2018, AFBTE and DBAN took NAFDAC to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, claiming we were trying to reduce the concentration of alcohol in sachets. At that time, it was like 50 per cent in the sachet.
“DBAN and AFBTE said their businesses would be destroyed. The then Minister of Health, Prof. Pate, gave these trade groups five years to reorganize their business.
“On February 1, 2024, five years later, we started enforcement because our mandate is to regulate and control the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale, and use of regulated products — and alcohol is classified as food.
“They resisted and took us to the Committee on NAFDAC at the National Assembly, which told us to suspend what we were doing in 2024. It went back and forth throughout 2024. We couldn’t do what we were supposed to do.
“In December 2024, the then Minister, Prof. Pate, said we should give an extra one year and we did,” she said.
The NAFDAC Director-General said that after enforcement began following Senate orders, the trade groups sought yet another extension.
“However, in 2018, when this moratorium was given, we were also told to conduct a survey to assess the impact on our children. We did our survey in NAFDAC.
“The results were not pleasing to the industry group. They demanded an independent survey. So, we conducted one in 2021 during the pandemic,” she said.
Adeyeye explained that the overall objective of the research was to undertake a national survey of consumers and retailers of alcohol, beverages, and wines to determine the extent of alcohol abuse among the underage.
She said about 2,000 respondents were sampled across the six geopolitical zones, adding that the results were damning for the country.
The NAFDAC boss said findings showed that 54.3 per cent of minors and underage persons obtained alcohol by themselves from various sources, while 49.9 per cent patronized retailers selling sachets and PET bottles.
She noted that 50 per cent of children drink alcohol, and the survey suggested minors and underage persons also access alcoholic drinks from friends, relatives, and social guardians.
“Of those who procure drinks for themselves, 47.2 per cent of minors and 48.8 per cent of underage procure drinks in sachets because they are easy to conceal.
“Whether you are a good parent or a bad parent, it doesn’t really matter. These sachets are easy to conceal — and that is what NAFDAC has banned.
“The survey data revealed that 63.2 per cent of minors and 54 per cent of underage drink alcohol occasionally, while 44.3 per cent and 38.3 per cent of adults drink occasionally and daily respectively.
“So, they even drink more than adults because it is easy to conceal. Additionally, 9.3 per cent of minors and 25.2 per cent of underage consume alcoholic beverages.
“And 11.3 per cent of minors and 9.4 per cent of underage consume alcohol at least once a week. As young as nine years old in this survey consume alcohol,” she said.
According to her, most minors and underage persons buy alcohol for themselves — often for as little as ₦50 per sachet.
“Some people have been made rich, but some children are losing their livelihoods and future.
“Some children are potential patients for liver cirrhosis, kidney failure, mental instability,” she said.
On the pattern of alcohol consumption and abuse by minors and underage persons, the survey revealed that about 11.7 per cent of underage children have engaged in binge drinking.
“This is mostly reported in Gombe. In terms of the most use of alcohol, it is Lagos State and Rivers,” Adeyeye said.
She said NAFDAC remains concerned due to its mandate to protect public health, including children.
Speaking on its impact on health and brain development, she said alcohol can damage the hippocampus (memory centre in the brain) and prefrontal cortex, leading to permanent issues with learning, memory, and impulse control.
According to her, underage drinking is linked to liver and kidney damage, hypertension, disrupted hormone growth, and increased cancer risk later in life.
This also increases the risk of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.
“Youth who begin drinking before age 15 — the minors and underage in our study — are 41 per cent more likely to become dependent on alcohol. And this study also shows that they graduate to start taking cocaine and other narcotics.
“It also has behavioral consequences as violence remains a major factor in youth suicides, homicides, and motor vehicle crashes or accidents.
“Risky behavior is strongly linked to unprotected sexual activity, unwanted pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases,” she said.
Adeyeye added that it contributes to academic problems because drinking often leads to lower grades, missed classes, and impaired cognitive function.
“In our country, it is responsible for banditry. It is responsible for kidnapping. You cannot be in your right mind and point a gun at somebody. It starts from alcohol and then goes on to hard drugs.
“Because of all these, the Senate made its resolutions on November 6, 2025, and they were communicated to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) on December 1, 2025.
“The resolutions urge NAFDAC not to grant further extension to the moratorium and to ensure immediate strict enforcement of the ban on such alcohol and alcohol in small bottles.
“It urges the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to support NAFDAC on the ban on such alcohol and alcohol in smaller volumes.
“It urges the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to release its national alcohol policy that includes prohibition of alcohol in sachets and small volumes less than 200 ml.
“It urges the National Orientation Agency and NAFDAC to collaborate and intensify nationwide sensitization on the dangers of alcohol in sachets and small-volume bottles,” she said.
Earlier, the Director of Corporate Affairs at the FCCPC, Mr. Ondaje Ijagwu, said the commission would subject offenders in the food and drug sector to offenses and penalties based on extant laws.
“So, by tomorrow, when we begin full enforcement — and we must — we will not be asked questions as to why we are subjecting offenders to a certain kind of penalties and sanctions. Our sanctions are quite severe.
“By the time we begin implementation — and which we are commencing immediately — Nigerians would know,” Ijagwu said.
The Director-General of NOA, Lanre Onilu, said the Federal Government, through NAFDAC, had banned the production and sale of alcohol in sachets and in PET or glass bottles below 200 milliliters, effective from January 1, 2026.
According to Onilu, this decision is a deliberate public health intervention aimed at reducing underage access to cheap, high-concentration alcohol and curbing the alarming pattern of harmful consumption across our communities.
“This is why this collaboration is important. NAFDAC safeguards public health through regulation. FCCPC protects consumer rights and ensures responsible market practices.
“The National Orientation Agency mobilizes citizens for behavioral change and national consciousness. Together, we are aligning regulation, consumer protection, and public enlightenment to ensure that this policy achieves its intended impact,” he said.
