The Nigerian Youth Solidarity Assembly (NYSA) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sack the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) over what it described as incompetence and abuse of office in the enforcement of the ban on sachet alcohol and 200ml PET bottled alcoholic beverages.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, the Secretary-General of the assembly, Comrade Okwute Hilary Akor, accused NAFDAC of enforcing the restriction in an arbitrary manner, alleging that the action contradicts existing government directives and undermines efforts to revive the economy.
According to NYSA, the enforcement violates the National Alcohol Policy and ignores an earlier directive suspending further implementation pending the outcome of consultations by a joint committee. The group also claimed the move runs contrary to a resolution of the House of Representatives, which urged NAFDAC to halt implementation after engaging relevant stakeholders.
The assembly warned that the continued enforcement of the ban could trigger widespread job losses across the manufacturing and distribution value chain, threaten indigenous beverage manufacturers, reduce government revenue, and encourage the proliferation of illicit, substandard and smuggled alcoholic products.
NYSA further argued that the restriction would negatively affect low-income adult consumers who rely on smaller packaging options, insisting that such products offer affordable choices for responsible consumers rather than promoting alcohol abuse.
The group also rejected claims that sachet alcohol encourages underage drinking, maintaining that industry-backed awareness campaigns and responsible drinking initiatives have strengthened measures against underage alcohol consumption.
While expressing support for efforts to eliminate unsafe and unregulated products from the market, NYSA insisted that regulatory decisions should be based on credible empirical evidence and broad stakeholder consultations rather than what it described as emotional considerations.
The assembly warned that failure to review the policy could fuel public dissatisfaction, weaken investor confidence in Nigeria’s manufacturing sector, disrupt businesses, and create avoidable political tensions at a time when the Federal Government is pursuing economic reforms.
It therefore urged President to remove the NAFDAC Director-General from office, arguing that doing so would restore confidence in regulatory institutions and protect jobs, businesses and the nation’s economy.
NAFDAC had not responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.