Drama As NAFDAC Staff Are Locked Out Of Office Over Protest Against Sachet Alcohol Ban

A rather mild drama unfolded at the Lagos office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) when staff were locked out amid an ongoing protest.

Members of the National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) on Wednesday, blocked both the entrance and exit gates in protest against the decision to ban the production and sale of sachet alcohol and PET bottles below 200 millilitres.

The union is demanding the immediate unsealing of affected factories and production lines, warning that sustained enforcement of the policy could trigger significant economic consequences across the industry.

Some of the placards carried by the protesters accused the NAFDAC DG, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, of working against the government and disobeying direct directives from the government.

Meanwhile, police officers were later seen at the NAFDAC Isolo premises, the barricade was lifted, and NAFDAC staff were allowed back into the premises, restoring access to the office.

It would be recalled that earlier this month, reports claimed that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the National Security Adviser had ordered a halt to the ban on the sale of sachet alcohol and directed the reopening of sealed production lines.

However, NAFDAC swiftly dismissed the media report claiming that the Federal Government directed it to suspend enforcement actions on the regulation of sachet alcohol and 200ml PET bottle alcoholic products.

The agency described the publication as false and misleading, insisting that no such directive had been received from the Federal Government.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, NAFDAC clarified that it continued to operate within its statutory mandate and in line with government policies formally communicated to it.