The National Orientation Agency (NOA), in collaboration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on Tuesday launched a joint campaign to enforce the ban on sachet alcoholic drinks in Nigeria.
The initiative, also supported by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), aims to safeguard the lives and future of Nigerian children, according to NOA Director General Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, Issa-Onilu emphasized that the ban is a deliberate public health intervention designed to reduce underage access to cheap, high-strength alcohol and curb harmful drinking patterns across communities.
NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, addressed recent fake reports suggesting that the National Assembly and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation had called for a suspension of the ban. She clarified that these claims are false.
The Federal Government, through NAFDAC, officially banned the production and sale of alcohol in sachets and PET or glass bottles under 200 millilitres, effective January 1, 2026.
Issa-Onilu highlighted the significance of the collaboration, “NAFDAC safeguards public health through regulation. FCCPC protects consumer rights and ensures responsible market practices.
NOA mobilises citizens for behavioural change and national consciousness. Together, we align regulation, consumer protection, and public enlightenment to ensure this policy achieves its intended impact.”
“For too long, sachet alcohol has been dangerously accessible. It is inexpensive. It is portable. It is easy to conceal. In many rural and semi-urban communities, it became easier for a young person to obtain high-strength alcohol than to access proper guidance and protection. When affordability meets vulnerability, the consequences are profound.
“We have seen those consequences. Early exposure to alcohol significantly increases the risk of addiction and long-term dependency. It undermines educational attainment. It contributes to domestic instability and violence. It is linked to road traffic incidents, risky behaviour and declining productivity. Over time, it weakens families and destabilises communities.
“As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. It is far less costly to prevent harm than to repair damage. Government has both a constitutional duty and a moral obligation to act before harm becomes entrenched.
“This joint nationwide campaign is therefore not about restriction for its own sake. It is about protection. It is about safeguarding children and vulnerable populations. It is about reinforcing responsible consumption standards. It is about strengthening the fabric of our society.
“The National Orientation Agency will lead the behavioural change component of this campaign with full national deployment. With 818 offices nationwide and operational structures across all 774 Local Government Areas, we will ensure that this message reaches every community. Our State Directorates, Zonal and Local Government Offices, and our Community Orientation and Mobilisation Officers will take this campaign directly to rural communities, youth groups, transport unions, market associations, artisans, schools and faith-based institutions. The engagement will take place in town halls, markets, motor parks and community centres, delivered in languages that resonate with the people.
“We will reinforce these efforts through sustained media engagement on television and radio, strategic use of digital platforms, active social media campaigns and collaboration with credible influencers who can speak directly to young audiences. We will also deploy the NOA CLHEEAN App, available on Android and Apple platforms, to empower citizens to report violations and support responsible enforcement in their communities.
“Let it be clearly stated: consumer protection is public protection. Market responsibility is national responsibility. When products undermine health and safety, the government must act in the interest of the people.
“No nation prospers when its youth are caught in cycles of preventable addiction. No society advances when harmful practices become normalised. Protecting our children today is an investment in Nigeria’s stability and productivity tomorrow.
“We call on parents and guardians to remain vigilant. We urge community leaders to champion awareness. We expect full compliance from retailers and distributors. We encourage citizens to refuse patronage of banned products and to support lawful enforcement efforts.
“This joint campaign represents unity of purpose. It demonstrates that public health regulation, consumer protection and national orientation are not isolated functions, but interconnected pillars of responsible governance.
“The National Orientation Agency, in partnership with NAFDAC and FCCPC, will not relent in sensitising our people. We will not relent in promoting responsible citizenship. We will not relent in protecting the wellbeing of Nigerians.
“Together, through awareness, compliance and collective vigilance, we can build a healthier, safer and more responsible nation.”
On her part, NAFDAC DG, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye hs described as fake news reports making the rounds that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the National Assembly called for a halt of the enforcement of the ban on sachet alcohol.
Adeyeye said on the contrary, the National Assembly motion on the issue which was forwarded to the office of the SGF backed NAFDAC enforcement action.
She said, “The Senate decided that they are going to make resolutions on November 6, 2025. They made the resolutions and these were communicated to the Secretary to the Federal Government, SGM, on December 1, 2025. And the resolutions urge NAFDAC not to grant further extension to the moratorium and to ensure immediate strict enforcement of the ban on such alcohol and alcohol in small bottles. “It urges the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to support NAFDAC on the ban on such alcohol and alcohol in smaller volumes.
“It urges the Federal Ministry of Health to release its national alcohol policy that includes prohibition of alcohol in such a small volume less than 200 mls. It urges the National Orientation Agency and NAFDAC to collaborate and intensify nationwide sensitisation of dangers of alcohol in such small volume bottles.”
Stressing the need to enforce the ban, she said “We are here to ensure that the ban on such alcohol, and alcohol in small bottles less than 200 mils, remain banned.
“We are here to make sure that we have a future. Alcohol is one of the most widely used substances of abuse among youths. Several studies on alcohol indicate that within the last few decades, there has been a rapid increase in alcohol availability, production, importation, and consumption across all age groups in Nigeria.
“The availability and easy access to alcohol have been identified as a contributory factor to the increasing alcohol consumption among minors.
“It is about 50 Naira to buy sachets of alcohol. Some people have been made rich but some children are losing their future, their livelihoods in the future. Some children are potential patients for liver cirrhosis, for kidney failure, for mental instability.
“Underage drinking is linked to liver and kidney damage. Hypertension. Disrupted hormone growth and increased cancer risk later in life.”
In conclusion, she said, “access to alcohol by children can be limited if the pack sizes such as small volume bottles that can be easily concealed are made not available. And that ban is going to ensure that.”
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission also threw its weight behind the enforcement of the ban.
The Commission said it would be standing side by side with NAFDAC in the enforcement process so as to safeguard the underaged who are the future of the country.
