By Ayodele Oni 

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has not received any formal directive ordering the suspension of its regulatory or enforcement activities in respect of sachet alcohol products.

NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Monisola Adeleye, denied reports suggesting that the Federal Government directed it to halt enforcement actions against sachet alcohol and 200ml PET bottle alcoholic products, describing such claims as false and misleading.

The clarification was contained in a press statement issued on Wednesday and signed by Prof. Adeyeye, who said the agency had received no formal communication instructing it to suspend its regulatory activities in the sector.

“The said publication is false, misleading, and does not reflect any official communication received by the Agency from the Federal Government,” Adeyeye stated.

According to the agency, all its enforcement actions are carried out strictly within its statutory mandate and in line with duly communicated government policies and directives. 

“It stressed that existing laws and regulatory frameworks continue to guide its operations.

“At no time has the Agency received any formal directive ordering the suspension of its regulatory or enforcement activities in respect of sachet alcohol products,” the Director-General added.

NAFDAC reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding public health and ensuring compliance across the food and beverage industry, noting that any decision affecting national regulatory actions would be formally communicated through authorised government channels.

The agency also warned against the circulation of unverified information, cautioning that such reports could trigger unnecessary public anxiety, economic uncertainty and misinterpretation of government policy.

“NAFDAC, therefore, urges members of the public, industry stakeholders and the media to disregard the false report and to rely only on verified information issued through the Agency’s official platforms and authorised government communication channels,” Adeyeye said.

The clarification comes amid ongoing regulatory scrutiny of sachet alcohol products, which have remained a subject of public health debate due to concerns over accessibility and abuse, particularly among young people.

Reiterating its stance, NAFDAC said it remained resolute in its commitment to public health, economic stability and the national interest.

By Suleiman Anyalewechi 

The Federal Government of Nigeria on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, asked the authorities of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, to put a hold  on the ongoing enforcement of the ban placed on sachet alcohol drinks in the country.

The Source reports that NAFDAC, after a long period of warning, recently commenced moves to halt the production, distribution and retailing of all satchet alcoholic drinks in the country, citing public health concerns,  fake and counterfeit production and  unwholesome effects, particularly on the youth as  major reasons.

But in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, on Public Affairs, Terrence Kuanum, the Federal Government affirmed the suspension of all enforcement activities by NAFDAC on sachet, and 200ml PET bottle alcoholic products pending further directives.

According to the statement, the directives for the halting of the enforcement exercise followed the receipt of a letter from the House of Representatives Committee on Food and Drugs Administration and Control expressing concern over the planned NAFDAC’s enforcement despite existing resolutions  by law makers calling for a cessation of action.

The House Committee’s letter referenced NASS/10/HR/CT.53/77 and signed by Deputy Chairman Hon Uchenna Harris Okonkwo had  drawn attention to the need to respect the resolutions of the National Assembly on the issue.

The office of the SGF, therefore, noted that it is presently reviewing all relevant legislative resolution, public health considerations, economic implications and national interest factors associated with the issue of the manufacturing and distribution of sachet alcoholic drinks in the country..

“Accordingly, all actions, decisions or enforcement measures relating to the sachet alcohol ban remain suspended pending final consultations ,full implementation of the National Alcohol Policy ,and the issuance of definitive directive”, the SGF stated.

The  statement warned that any enforcement exercise carried out on the said issue of alcoholic drinks ban, without the expressed permission of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation will be considered a nullity . 

This is as the SGF assured Nigerians , particularly industry stakeholders that a final, balanced and lawful decision on the issue ,will be communicated in due course after comprehensive consultations and inter-agency coordination in the overall interest of public health, economic stability and national security.

The office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and that of National Security Adviser, NSA, were said to have Intervened in the present circumstances , raising serious concerns over the security , economic and social implications of the enforcement exercise in the face of the absence of a fully operational National Alcohol Policy.

Although the National Alcohol Policy is said to have been signed by the Federal Ministry of Health ,it is however yet to fully come on stream to provide NAFDAC with the needed  legal backbone to enforce the ban on the manufacturing and distribution of sachet alcoholic drinks in the country.