A pressure group, Concerned Citizen for Change, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately sack the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, over what it described as “gross incompetence, abuse of public office, and disregard for constituted authority.”
Addressing a press conference at the National Assembly in Abuja on Thursday, the group’s Country Director, Hilary Akor, strongly condemned NAFDAC’s enforcement of the ban on sachet alcohol and 200ml PET bottled alcoholic beverages, describing the action as illegal, anti-people, and capable of worsening the country’s economic challenges.
Akor alleged that the agency’s decision violates the National Alcohol Policy already approved by the Federal Ministry of Health and runs contrary to directives previously issued by the Presidency and resolutions of the House of Representatives restraining NAFDAC from proceeding with the enforcement pending further consultations with stakeholders.
According to him, the enforcement action could trigger large-scale economic hardship and social unrest by disrupting the operations of indigenous manufacturers and threatening thousands of jobs across the alcohol production and distribution value chain.
“The Director-General must be fired by Mr President without delay, as her incompetence stinks and is gradually throwing the entire country into needless confusion at a time the administration should focus on consolidating economic gains,” Akor declared.
The group argued that the production of alcoholic drinks in sachets and small PET bottles was designed to provide affordable options for low-income adult consumers and should not be criminalised.
It further dismissed claims that sachet alcohol encourages abuse among minors, insisting that smaller packaging sizes actually discourage excessive consumption compared to larger containers.
Concerned Citizen for Change also maintained that locally produced sachet alcoholic beverages are manufactured under hygienic conditions and duly certified by regulatory authorities, including NAFDAC.
The group claimed that industry operators have already invested heavily in campaigns promoting responsible alcohol consumption and discouraging underage drinking through nationwide media awareness programmes.
It warned that the continued enforcement of the ban could lead to the collapse of local businesses, increase unemployment, encourage smuggling, and create room for the circulation of illicit and substandard alcoholic products in the Nigerian market.
The group further alleged that the policy would negatively affect government revenue generation while limiting access to affordable products for low-income consumers.
Akor urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to “wield the big stick” by removing the NAFDAC boss from office in the interest of the administration and the Nigerian public.
The group, however, noted that it supports measures aimed at eliminating unsafe and unregulated products from the market but insisted that such policies must be based on empirical evidence, broad stakeholder consultation, and economic realities rather than “emotional persuasion and arbitrary enforcement.”