NAFDAC to enforce full ban on sachet, small-bottle alcohol by December 2025

Femi Fabunmi 

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced a total ban on the production and sale of alcoholic drinks packaged in sachets and small bottles (below 200ml). The ban will take effect in December 2025.

Manufacturers, distributors, and sellers have been told to comply fully with this rule, as there will be no deadline extension.

This move follows a decision by the Nigerian Senate directing NAFDAC to enforce the ban to protect public health—especially children, teenagers, and young adults—from alcohol abuse.

Speaking in Abuja, NAFDAC Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye said that small, cheap alcohol packs are easy to buy and hide, which makes them dangerous. She linked them to problems such as addiction, road accidents, domestic violence, school dropouts, and other social issues.

She added that early alcohol use could lead young people to harder drugs, reducing national productivity and contributing to crimes like banditry and kidnapping.

Adeyeye recalled that in 2018, NAFDAC and the Federal Ministry of Health signed an agreement with manufacturers to phase out sachet and small-bottle alcohol by January 2024, but the deadline was extended to December 2025 to allow companies to adjust.

“This ban is not meant to punish anyone,” she said. “It is to protect the health and future of our children and youth.”

The ban applies only to spirit drinks packaged in sachets and bottles smaller than 200ml.

NAFDAC said it will work with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to create awareness campaigns about the dangers of alcohol misuse.

Last week, the Senate reaffirmed its support for the ban, warning that cheap alcohol in sachets and small bottles has become a serious public health issue.

Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South), who sponsored the motion, said that NAFDAC must stop delaying enforcement. He warned that any more extensions would “betray public trust” and go against Nigeria’s duty to protect its citizens.