Protests intensified in Lagos on Thursday as members of the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) escalated their demonstrations against the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) over the ongoing enforcement of the sachet alcohol ban.
Workers barricaded the NAFDAC Lagos office gate, claiming the agency ignored what they described as a Federal Government directive to suspend enforcement until the National Alcohol Policy is fully implemented. The protesters warned that continued sealing of factories and depots could jeopardise as many as 5.5 million jobs across the value chain.
Brandspur Politics reports that NAFDAC has refuted the claims, asserting that it has received no formal government instruction to halt enforcement. The agency dismissed media reports suggesting otherwise as fake news, stressing its commitment to public health protection.
Comrade Kolawole Buhari, FOBTOB West National Vice President, stated, “This action threatens 5.5 million jobs. It contradicts the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and risks pushing children onto the streets.” Comrade Lanre Yusuf, National Deputy President, added that directives from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) called for a pause in enforcement measures, urging NAFDAC to comply immediately.
The controversy follows clarification by Terrence Kuanum, Special Adviser on Public Affairs to the SGF, indicating that while the National Alcohol Policy is approved, regulatory actions such as factory sealing should be suspended until full operationalisation of the policy.
