The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has issued a strong rebuke of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) over what it describes as the unauthorised implementation of a ban on alcoholic beverages sold in sachets and small PET bottles, warning that the action threatens jobs and could encourage illicit trade, news.ng reports.
In a statement released Tuesday afternoon and made available to news.ng, MAN’s Director General, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, accused NAFDAC of defying a federal government directive and creating confusion among industry operators through contradictory regulatory signals.
“The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has observed, in recent times, the activities of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) regarding the disruption of the businesses of our members in the Wines and Spirits sector,” Ajayi-Kadir said. “This is inimical to the profitable operation of the companies concerned and will certainly hurt the Nigerian economy.”
According to MAN, NAFDAC proceeded with enforcement actions over the past two weeks despite explicit instructions from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation issued on December 15, 2025, directing the suspension of the ban.
“Specifically, we have noted that NAFDAC has, in the last two weeks, gone ahead to implement the ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and small PET bottles in flagrant disobedience of the directives from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on the matter,” the Director General stated.
The association also pointed to an earlier House of Representatives resolution from March 14, 2024, which restrained NAFDAC from implementing the ban following comprehensive stakeholder consultations through a public hearing.
Ajayi-Kadir criticised NAFDAC for bypassing the House resolution by relying instead on a Senate decision that he said lacked proper stakeholder engagement.
“Rather than abiding by the generally agreed resolution, NAFDAC bided its time and chose to rely on a resolution of the Senate that was devoid of the usual stakeholders’ engagement,” he said. “This is particularly concerning as operators are now confused as to which directive to follow in the face of multiple directives.”
MAN defended the production of alcoholic beverages in small packages as a legitimate market innovation serving low-income adult consumers.
“It is important to reemphasise at this juncture that the advent of the sale of alcohol in sachets and PET bottles was not intended to have a negative impact on Nigerians. Rather, it was an innovation to serve the segment of the adult population with low budgets who desire the product and should have a right of choice,” Ajayi-Kadir explained.
The association warned that banning regulated products could paradoxically worsen public health outcomes by creating opportunities for dangerous, unregulated alternatives.
“To ban such products would open the floodgates of illicit and unwholesome substances that are not subject to regulation, are dangerous to health, and are beyond the control of the relevant regulatory agencies,” the statement read.
Addressing claims that the ban is necessary to prevent underage drinking, MAN said independent research has contradicted assertions of widespread abuse by minors. The industry has also invested heavily in responsible consumption campaigns.
“The industry, on its own, has even gone further, notwithstanding the report of the survey, to initiate a series of campaigns in respect of responsible alcohol consumption to discourage underage abuse. This has so far cost the operators over a billion Naira in advertisements at all levels of media outreach across the federation,” Ajayi-Kadir noted.
The manufacturers’ body emphasised its support for removing unsafe products from the market but insisted that regulatory decisions must be grounded in empirical evidence rather than emotion.
“MAN has always supported measures that remove unsafe products from the market. We have only maintained that such decisions should be supported by empirical facts and not emotional persuasions or appeals to public sentiments,” the Director General said.
MAN warned of severe economic consequences if the ban proceeds, including job losses throughout the value chain, reduced government revenue, market opportunities for smuggled imports, and restricted consumer choice for low-income adults.
“We, therefore, appeal to the Federal Government to prevail on NAFDAC to stop the disruption of our members’ activities and abide by the directive to suspend the implementation of the ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles,” Ajayi-Kadir concluded.
NAFDAC had not issued a response to MAN’s statement at the time of publication.
