A group of protesters in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, gathered at the Lagos office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the country’s drug and food regulator, calling for a strict ban on alcoholic drinks sold in sachets and in small polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles below 200 millilitres.
The demonstration followed a post on X (formerly Twitter) by the account Naija Truths, which shared a video and claimed the Lagos youths were demanding a “total ban” on sachet alcoholic drinks, arguing that such products were “no longer needed in society.”
Reports from the scene said the pro-ban demonstrators carried placards urging regulators to stand firm, with messages such as “NAFDAC do the needful, our lives are precious” and “NAFDAC don’t let them kill us with sachet alcohol,” as well as “Alcoholic sachet drinks, killing Nigerians.”
However, the pro-ban protest happened alongside a separate protest by groups opposing the ban. EnviroNews reported that both the supporters and opponents of the policy converged at the NAFDAC office in Isolo, Lagos, displaying placards with sharply different messages.
Speaking for the group supporting the ban, Babatunde Adeshina said they were not opposing alcohol consumption generally, but were against “the production and sales of alcohol in sachets.” He alleged that the small, easy-to-carry packs have harmed teenagers and young people, adding: “That is why we are here to support NAFDAC.”
The policy in dispute targets alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and in PET bottles below 200 millilitres. NAFDAC Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, has publicly defended the clampdown, describing it as a child-protection and public health move. “This ban is not punitive; it is protective,” she said during a previous briefing, warning that enforcement would proceed as planned.
Security personnel were present around the NAFDAC premises on Tuesday to prevent clashes and maintain order as both groups protested in the same area.