The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has called for evidence-based regulation in the enforcement of the ban on alcoholic beverages sold in sachets and small PET bottles.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Lagos, the Director-General of NECA, Mr Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, said regulatory actions must be guided by evidence, proportionality, and strict adherence to the rule of law.
Oyerinde expressed deep concern over the renewed enforcement of the ban by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), noting that the action contradicted existing government directives.
According to him, the enforcement runs counter to a directive from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation dated December 15, 2025, which suspended the ban, as well as a resolution of the House of Representatives of March 14, 2024, that called for restraint and broader stakeholder engagement.
“The continued enforcement is already disrupting legitimate businesses, unsettling ongoing investments, placing thousands of jobs at risk, and weakening confidence in Nigeria’s regulatory stability, at a time when investor trust is critically important,” he said.
Also Read:Â NAFDAC Vows to Resist Pressure in Crackdown on Counterfeit Drugs
Oyerinde emphasised that NECA fully supports the protection of minors, the removal of unsafe products from the market, and the pursuit of strong public health outcomes.
“However, the current approach is misdirected. It disproportionately targets compliant and regulated manufacturers, while failing to address the real drivers of underage access and the growing challenge of illicit substance abuse across the country,” he added.
He described it as unacceptable to penalise compliant manufacturers or criminalise products that had passed established regulatory approval processes, while neglecting gaps in retail enforcement and the proliferation of more dangerous unregulated substances.
According to him, Nigeria requires smarter, data-driven enforcement rather than blanket bans that destroy jobs, discourage investment, and fail to resolve the underlying issues.
Oyerinde noted that the alcoholic products being targeted were tested, registered, and periodically revalidated under NAFDAC’s own scientific and technical procedures.
“Alcohol strength is measured globally using Alcohol by Volume (ABV), and the products in question fall within internationally recognised ranges for spirits,” he said.
“Their alcohol content is clearly printed on labels and was approved within Nigeria’s regulatory framework. Abruptly portraying such products as inherently dangerous, without the presentation of new, transparent scientific evidence, raises serious questions about regulatory consistency and fairness.”
On underage drinking, Oyerinde argued that access control was primarily an enforcement issue rather than a packaging concern.
He pointed out that alcoholic beverages already carried clear warnings indicating they were not for persons under 18 and should be consumed responsibly.
“Where minors gain access, the failure lies in weak monitoring of retail outlets and poor enforcement of age restrictions,” he said.
According to him, addressing the issue requires stricter licensing, compliance checks, and sanctions for erring retailers, not the elimination of packaging formats lawfully consumed by adults.
“Eliminating these formats will not eliminate demand. Instead, it risks pushing consumers toward informal and unregulated alternatives, increasing public health risks while shrinking the formal economy,” he warned.
Oyerinde also expressed concern that enforcement efforts were being concentrated on a regulated segment of the beverage industry, even as the country grappled with the spread of more dangerous substances among young people, including illicit narcotics and abused pharmaceuticals.
“Directing limited enforcement resources toward compliant manufacturers while more harmful unregulated products circulate widely represents a serious misalignment of policy priorities,” he said.
He further highlighted the economic implications of the ban, noting that the wines and spirits value chain supports significant direct and indirect employment across manufacturing, packaging, distribution, transportation, retail, and agriculture.
“At a time when businesses are grappling with high operating costs, currency pressures, and weak consumer purchasing power, sudden regulatory shocks of this nature threaten livelihoods, reduce government revenue, and undermine investor confidence in the predictability of Nigeria’s policy environment,” he added.
“Nigeria deserves regulation that protects public health while preserving jobs, investment, and respect for the rule of law. Policies that disregard science, economic realities, and regulatory coherence risk doing more harm than good.”
