The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has commenced a nationwide mop-up exercise to remove all alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml from circulation, reinforcing the Federal Government’s ban on the production, importation, and sale of such products in Nigeria. The enforcement operation, spanning all six geopolitical zones, follows the closure of manufacturing facilities found to violate the ban.
NAFDAC enforcement teams are conducting coordinated operations in markets, motor parks, retail outlets, bars, and other distribution channels to identify, seize, and destroy all affected products. Manufacturers, importers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, hawkers, and transporters are advised to voluntarily surrender any remaining stock, as continued possession or sale of the banned products may attract seizure, regulatory sanctions, and prosecution.
This mop-up is not a one-off exercise but part of a sustained enforcement and public-education campaign to rid Nigeria of harmful alcohol products, protect children and adolescents, and promote a culture of responsible consumption among adults.
This nationwide exercise underscores NAFDAC’s commitment to protecting public health, particularly by reducing underage drinking, harmful alcohol consumption, and substance abuse among children and young people. These actions are not directed at compliant manufacturers operating within approved pack-size thresholds but at eliminating products that pose significant public health risks.
NAFDAC therefore calls on all Nigerians to support the exercise by reporting anyone producing, stocking, or selling the banned sachet and below 200ml PET-bottle alcoholic beverages, avoiding patronage of such products (categorised as unregistered, unsafe, and now illegal), and working collectively to safeguard communities and future generations.
NAFDAC urges the public to report any suspicious activities to the nearest NAFDAC office.