The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, on Tuesday declared that the nationwide ban on sachet and small-volume alcoholic drinks remains the most effective strategy to combat rising underage drinking in Nigeria.
Adeyeye spoke in Abuja at a press conference to mark the commencement of full enforcement of the prohibition on alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and bottles below 200 millilitres.
The enforcement, she said, would be jointly carried out by NAFDAC, the National Orientation Agency and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
Citing a nationwide survey conducted in 2021, Adeyeye revealed alarming data showing that about 50 per cent of Nigerian children consume alcohol.
According to her, the study sampled about 2,000 respondents across the six geopolitical zones and found that 54.3 per cent of minors and underage persons obtained alcohol by themselves, while 49.9 per cent purchased sachets and PET bottles from retailers.
She added that 47.2 per cent of minors and 48.8 per cent of underage persons preferred sachet alcohol because it is easy to conceal.
“The data are disturbing. As young as nine years old consume alcohol. Youths who begin drinking before age 15 are 41 per cent more likely to become dependent on alcohol later in life,” she said.
The findings further showed that 63.2 per cent of minors and 54 per cent of underage persons drink alcohol occasionally.
About 11.7 per cent of underage children admitted to binge drinking, with the trend mostly reported in Gombe State, while Lagos and Rivers states recorded the highest levels of alcohol use.
Adeyeye recounted that attempts to regulate high alcohol concentration in sachets began as far back as 2018, when the Association of Food and Beverage and Tobacco Employers and the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria resisted the move, warning it would cripple their businesses.
She said the trade groups were initially granted five years to restructure, but enforcement efforts in February 2024 were stalled following interventions at the National Assembly.
According to her, after months of back-and-forth, the Senate on November 6, 2025, resolved that no further extension should be granted and directed immediate enforcement of the ban.
The resolution was communicated to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on December 1, 2025.
She added that the Senate also urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to release a comprehensive national alcohol policy prohibiting sachet and small-volume alcohol sales.
The NAFDAC boss warned that alcohol consumption at a young age damages the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex — parts of the brain responsible for memory and impulse control leading to long-term cognitive impairment.
She linked early alcohol exposure to increased risks of drug abuse, academic decline and criminal behaviour.
“In our country, alcohol abuse contributes to banditry and kidnapping. You cannot be in your right senses and point a gun at someone. It often starts with alcohol before progressing to hard drugs,” she said.
Also speaking, FCCPC spokesperson, Ondaje Ijagwu, warned that offenders would face sanctions under existing laws, stressing that enforcement had commenced immediately.
Similarly, the Director-General of the NOA, Lanre Onilu, described the ban as a deliberate public health intervention aimed at reducing young people’s access to cheap, high-concentration alcohol and curbing harmful consumption patterns nationwide.
Despite opposition from sections of the alcohol industry, NAFDAC insisted that the policy was irreversible, stressing that protecting Nigerian children from early alcohol exposure outweighed commercial interests.
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