- Safiu Kehinde
A coalition of civil society organizations has on Monday staged a protest over the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control’s (NAFDAC) ban on sachet alcohol.
The group stormed NAFDAC’s headquarters in Abuja in demand for the reversal of the ban.
They labelled the policy as anti-people and a threat to livelihoods, warning that it will lead to widespread job losses across the production, distribution, and retail value chain of sachet alcohol if implemented.
According to reports, the protesters further argued that the ban would disproportionately affect low-income earners and small-scale traders who depend on the sale of sachet alcohol for survival.
They urged the agency to adopt alternative regulatory measures rather than an outright prohibition.
The protest is coming under the heels of NAFDAC’s insistence on implementation of the ban on sachet alcohol
Despite mixed reactions from stakeholders, the Director-General of the agency, Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, held that the agency would not reverse the policy unless directed by legislative or legal authority.