- ….warn of mass job losses
Organised labour and workers in the food and beverage sector yesterday staged a protest at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) office in Isolo, Lagos.
The demonstration was in response to the Federal Government’s ban on sachet alcohol and other alcoholic beverages packaged below 200 millilitres.
The protesters, drawn from the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), warned that the policy could lead to widespread factory closures and the loss of millions of jobs across the value chain.
Speaking at the protest ground, the National President of FOBTOB and Lagos Deputy President of the TUC, Comrade Jimoh Oyibo, said the ban strikes at the heart of the industry’s survival.
“The bone of contention is the ban on sachet alcohol and any packaging below 200ml. Those pack sizes are what sustain the companies financially. Once you ban them, it is as good as shutting down the entire business,” Oyibo said.
He recalled that following earlier disagreements over the policy, the matter was escalated to the House of Representatives in 2024, where a stakeholders’ meeting was convened involving NAFDAC, labour unions, manufacturers, the Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, the police, and other relevant agencies.
According to him, the meeting resolved that implementation of the ban should be suspended for one year to allow stakeholders develop a National Alcohol Policy that would address public health concerns without destroying jobs.
“NAFDAC was asked to hold on and allow one year for all stakeholders to come together to develop a national alcohol policy. Unfortunately, the Director-General of NAFDAC was not comfortable with that arrangement. Even the directive of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to maintain the status quo was ignored,” Oyibo alleged.
He said instead, NAFDAC approached the Senate, which subsequently asked the agency to proceed with enforcement without hearing the perspective of labour and manufacturers.
“That is why we are protesting today,” he said, adding that a stakeholders’ meeting scheduled for Wednesday in Abuja would determine whether the protest would continue.
Also speaking, Comrade Anthony Michael Oyega of the TUC accused NAFDAC of acting unilaterally and disregarding previous agreements reached with stakeholders.
Oyega said workers were shocked on February 6, 2024, when NAFDAC allegedly moved to shut down factories producing sachet alcohol, citing claims that minors were accessing the products.
“If there was any agreement, manufacturers, workers, and government should have been part of it. Instead, NAFDAC acted alone. That decision threatens about 5.5 million jobs across the industry,” he said.
He explained that following sustained protests, the matter was referred to the National Assembly, where all relevant agencies and industry players agreed to allow time for a workable policy that would balance regulation with job protection.
“What happened to that resolution? Before the policy process was completed, NAFDAC went to the Senate late last year and obtained approval that factories should be shut down,” Oyega said.
He also accused the agency of flouting the directive of the SGF to maintain the status quo while consultations continued.
“One worker here represents at least 10 families. One woman here feeds five or six people. You shut down these factories, and you push millions into the labour market. This cannot be the agenda of President Bola Tinubu,” he added.
Oyega argued that rather than an outright ban, the government should strengthen enforcement mechanisms to prevent underage access to alcohol.
“If the concern is accessibility to minors, then regulate distribution and sales. Alcohol already carries warnings that it is not for underage consumption. Cigarettes are known to be harmful, yet they are regulated, not banned,” he said.
He warned that rising unemployment resulting from factory closures could worsen insecurity and social instability.
“If parents lose their jobs, children drop out of school, and society pays the price through crime and social unrest. We are saying, let us return to the negotiation table,” Oyega said.
Protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “Suspend the Sachet Alcohol Ban”, “Save Jobs, Save Livelihoods,” and “Regulation, Not Prohibition.”
The protesters called on the Federal Government to suspend enforcement of the ban and reconvene stakeholders to finalise a national alcohol policy that protects public health without crippling the industry.
NAFDAC officials were yet to issue an official response at the time of filing this report.
