By Mercy Peter
The National Orientation Agency (NOA), in collaboration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), on Tuesday formally flagged off a Joint Nationwide Campaign to enforce the Federal Government’s ban on sachet alcoholic drinks and alcohol packaged in bottles below 200 millilitres.
The event, held at the NOA Headquarters in Abuja on March 3, 2026, underscored government’s renewed commitment to protecting public health, safeguarding minors, and promoting responsible consumer practices across the country.
The Director General of NOA Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu. described the campaign as more than a routine press engagement, but a united national intervention aimed at protecting Nigeria’s youth and vulnerable populations.
The Federal Government, through NAFDAC, had banned the production and sale of alcohol in sachets as well as in PET and glass bottles under 200ml, with enforcement effective January 1, 2026.
The measure, he said, is a deliberate public health strategy to curb underage access to cheap, high-concentration alcohol and reduce harmful consumption trends.
Issa-Onilu noted that each agency brings a distinct mandate to the initiative. While NAFDAC regulates and safeguards public health standards, FCCPC ensures consume rights and responsible market practices. NOA, he said, is tasked with mobilising citizens and driving behavioural change.
“This is not restriction for its own sake,” the NOA boss stated. “It is about protection- protecting children, strengthening families, and preserving the future of our nation.”
“With 818 offices nationwide and operational structures in all 774 local government areas, NOA will take this message directly to the grassroots,” he said, adding that sensitisation efforts will target markets, motor parks, schools, youth groups, transport unions and faith-based institutions.
“We cannot allow harmful practices to become normalised,” the NOA chief stated. “No society prospers when its youth are trapped in cycles of preventable addiction.”
He also disclosed plans for sustained radio and television engagement, strategic digital outreach, and deployment of the NOA CLHEEAN App to enable citizens report violations and support enforcement efforts.
The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration control NAFDAC Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye said the ban was informed by alarming data on underage drinking and years of failed compliance by segments of the alcohol industry.
She traced the policy’s history to 2018, when trade associations approached NAFDAC seeking to reduce alcohol concentration levels in sachets, which at the time contained as much as 50 per cent alcohol by volume—compared to beer’s typical 6–8 per cent concentration.
Following consultations, the Ministry of Health at the time granted the industry a five-year moratorium to restructure operations. However, enforcement efforts initiated in February 2024 were met with resistance and legislative interventions, leading to further delays.
A final one-year extension was granted in December 2024 by the Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Pate, after which enforcement resumed, backed by a Senate resolution in November 2025 directing NAFDAC to implement the ban without further extension.
Central to the agency’s stance, the NAFDAC chief said, was a nationwide survey conducted in 2021 across the six geopolitical zones involving approximately 2,000 respondents.
“The results were damning,” she said.
According to the findings, 54.3 per cent of minors and underage respondents could independently obtain alcohol, while nearly 50 per cent patronised sachet and small-bottle retailers. Alarmingly, children as young as nine years old were reported to consume alcohol.
The survey also revealed that 63.2 per cent of minors and 54 per cent of underage respondents consumed alcohol occasionally, with significant percentages engaging in binge drinking in states including Gombe, Anambra and the Federal Capital Territory.
The affordability and concealability of sachet alcohol—sometimes sold for as little as ₦50—were identified as key drivers of youth access.
The NAFDAC Director General warned that underage drinking poses grave risks to brain development, including damage to the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, potentially impairing memory, learning and impulse control.
She further cited increased risks of addiction, liver and kidney disease, hypertension, depression, anxiety, unprotected sexual activity, and exposure to hard drugs. Youths who begin drinking before age 15, she noted, are 41 per cent more likely to develop alcohol dependency later in life.
“Ban on small pack sizes can significantly reduce the menace of underage drinking,” she said, stressing that easy-to-conceal packaging had worsened the crisis.
Parents, guardians, community leaders, retailers and distributors were urged to comply fully with the directive. Citizens were encouraged to refuse patronage of banned products and report violations.
The agencies pledged continued engagement and vigilance to ensure the policy achieves its intended objectives, describing the initiative as an investment in Nigeria’s long-term stability, productivity and national wellbeing.
