Members of the Rebirth Nigeria Movement on Thursday staged a protest demanding the immediate removal of the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, over the enforcement of a ban on sachet and 200ml PET bottle alcoholic beverages.
The protest, led by the National Coordinator of the group, Comrade Okwute Hilary Akor, took place in Abuja, where demonstrators accused the NAFDAC boss of gross incompetence and abuse of public office in relation to the agency’s implementation of the alcohol policy.
Addressing journalists, Akor said the group was “startled” by what it described as the “illegal enforcement of an arbitrary ban” on sachet alcohol and small PET bottle products.
He argued that the action contradicts existing provisions of the National Alcohol Policy signed by the Federal Ministry of Health and allegedly disregards a presidential directive halting further disruption of affected businesses pending the outcome of a joint committee review.
According to him, the enforcement also runs contrary to resolutions of the House of Representatives referenced in a 2024 communication, which he claimed restrained the agency from proceeding with the ban after a public hearing with stakeholders.
The group warned that the decision could negatively impact businesses and jobs across the alcohol production value chain, especially at a time when the Federal Government is promoting economic reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Akor maintained that sachet and small-bottle alcoholic products were introduced to cater to low-income adult consumers and argued that banning them would restrict consumer choice and threaten the survival of local manufacturers.
He further contended that industry operators had invested heavily in campaigns promoting responsible drinking and discouraging underage consumption.
While acknowledging the need for regulatory oversight to eliminate unsafe products, the movement insisted that policy decisions should be guided by empirical evidence and broad stakeholder consultations.
The protesters said they had formally presented their concerns to the Senate and expressed confidence that lawmakers would revisit the issue.
They urged President Tinubu to relieve the NAFDAC Director-General of her duties, arguing that her continued stay in office was no longer in the public interest.
As of press time, NAFDAC had not issued an official response to the protest.