By Joe Udo
ABUJA (CONVERSEER) – The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has accused the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of pursuing what it described as a “sinister agenda” aimed at destroying indigenous-owned companies in Nigeria’s wines and spirits industry.
The allegation followed NAFDAC’s enforcement of a ban on alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets, a move that has continued to generate widespread controversy among labour unions, industry players and civil society groups.
The accusation was made by the Executive Secretary of the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association, Comrade Solomon Adebosin, during a protest by union members at the NAFDAC office. The demonstration was organised to oppose the implementation of the sachet alcohol ban.
Adebosin warned that the policy, if sustained, would trigger massive job losses and lead to the collapse of several local manufacturing firms. He questioned why NAFDAC proceeded with enforcement despite a directive from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), which reportedly asked that the ban be placed on hold to allow for a comprehensive review due to its far-reaching economic implications.
He recalled that organised labour had earlier cautioned that more than five million jobs and investments exceeding ₦3 trillion were at risk, insisting that the decision could further deepen unemployment and economic hardship across the country.
According to Adebosin, globally accepted approaches such as effective regulation, access control and sustained public education are more practical and sustainable solutions to concerns surrounding alcohol consumption than an outright ban.
Also speaking at the protest, Comrade Azeez Rasaki, representing the National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees, said NAFDAC’s action contradicted the economic recovery and growth agenda of the Tinubu administration. He argued that the policy runs counter to the Federal Government’s stated commitment to job creation, industrial expansion and support for local enterprises.
The unions demanded the immediate suspension of the enforcement of the sachet alcohol ban and called for broad stakeholder engagement to develop a more balanced and economically sustainable regulatory framework.
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Converseer earlier reported on the controversy surrounding NAFDAC’s decision to ban sachet and small-bottle alcoholic beverages, a policy scheduled to take effect in December 2025. The move has faced strong backlash, with critics warning of severe economic consequences.
At a separate press conference in Abuja, civil society group Stand Up Nigeria condemned the ban, describing it as “undemocratic” and cautioning that it could endanger millions of jobs. The group’s convener, Sunday Attah, labelled the directive “high-handed and illegal,” expressing disappointment over what he described as the absence of consultation with key stakeholders and industry operators.
Attah said NAFDAC’s decision ignored earlier resolutions reached during meetings involving the Federal Ministry of Health and members of the House of Representatives. The group also raised concerns that the ban appeared to stem from alleged Senate resolutions, which it argued undermined due consultation and consensus-building in the policymaking process.
NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, had previously stated that the ban followed a Senate directive instructing the agency to enforce the measure without further extensions.
