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“We Cannot Sacrifice Our Children On The Altar Of Trade” – NAFDAC Defends Ban On Sachet Alcohol

Published

6 months ago

January 30, 2026

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has again justified its decision to ban and enforce the ban on the production and sale of sachet alcohol.

Speaking on Friday during an interview on Arise News, the NAFDAC Director General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, said the health and safety of children must be prioritized over commercial gains.

She added that the future of children must be protected by avoiding future alcohol addiction. Adeyeye stressed that the action is about protecting the health of citizens.

“So it is on their side that they are all about money, not about health. We are about health and good investments… But we cannot sacrifice our children on the altar of trade,” she said.

Adeyeye explained that alcohol falls under NAFDAC’s regulatory mandate as a food product, noting that the agency was not banning alcohol entirely.

“We are not banning alcohol. We approve alcohol in different packages. It is only in small packages that we are banning.”

No Court Order Against Ban

During the interview, the NAFDAC boss also denied claims that a court order has stopped the enforcement of the ban on sachet alcohol.

Adeyeye maintained that NAFDAC has not received any court order to that effect

“NAFDAC has not been served. If we have been served, I have not been given that,” she said.

She added that the agency resumed enforcement based on legislative backing.

“The Senate gave us the order to resume enforcement,” Adeyeye noted.

Tracing the policy to 2018, she said NAFDAC raised the alarm over sachet alcohol with concentrations of between 43 and 45 per cent.

According to her, an agreement was reached with manufacturers under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Health, giving them five years to reorganise.

“That can be easily squeezed into the pocket of a primary school, secondary school child.”

“We all signed that by, after five years, they will not sell alcohol in sachets,” she said.

According to her, when the agreed time expired, on January 31, 2024, an extension was granted following interventions by lawmakers and certain industry stakeholders.

She added that the extended moratorium expired in December 2025.

“The Minister called me and said there had been some discussion, we should give one year moratorium, an extra one year above the five years that we have given before. And that one year expired December 2025.”

Adeyeye said that despite opposition from manufacturers seeking further extensions, enforcement resumed based on the order given by the Senate.

She dismissed claims that warning labels could curb underage drinking.

She also said the policy aligns with Nigeria’s international obligations.

“Do not use under 18. Do not use in Nigeria, are we kidding ourselves? Are we really kidding ourselves? In Nigeria? Who is going to enforce?”

“In 2010, Nigeria signed an agreement, World Health Assembly, 2010, 193 countries signed it that we will not make alcohol to be easily accessible to vulnerable populations,” Adeyeye added.

On criticisms that NAFDAC continued to register sachet alcohol products during the moratorium, Adeyeye said the agency was acting based on legislative directives.

“We were honouring the moratorium, the extended moratorium that was given by registering within a period.

“I think we are learning our lessons now that we shouldn’t have even listened or register products, a product at that particular period,” the NAFDAC boss stated.

Responding to suggestions that alcohol concentration should be reduced instead of banning sachets, she said the issue was accessibility and concealment.

She disclosed that some schoolchildren are already getting addicted and there is the urgent need for intervention to correct the trend.

“Actually, it is scientifically possible. It is not just the volume. It is the pack size.

“The principal said that in his school, a student said that he cannot study for exam without a sachet alcohol.

“We are making our children addicts. Addicts.”

“Because you are frying your liver slowly with alcohol over time,” Adeyeye clarified.

She added that NAFDAC is shutting down production lines used for sachet production, and not entire companies.

According to her, manufacturers have always been carried along in the developments leading to the current enforcement.

“Lines have been shut down… We are shutting down lines.

“We were having regular meetings, quarterly meetings with MAN.”

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News

Fake agency: ICPC grills Femi Gbajabiamila

Published

1 hour ago

July 21, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Monday, July 21, went before the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to answer questions over his alleged investigation into the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).

The anti-graft agency is investigating the circumstances surrounding the operation of the purported council by Mr Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who allegedly presented himself as its Director-General. Adeniyi had initially alleged that the fake agency was orchestrated by Gbajabiamila. He later retracted his claim and then alleged that it was his now deceased ally that related with Gbajabiamila when the fake agency was being set up.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had, on July 7, directed the ICPC to investigate the fake agency and submit its report within 30 days.

Gbajabiamila’s counsel, Jiti Ogunye, confirmed his client’s appearance before the commission in a statement yesterday.

“In full cooperation with the ICPC, acting on the directive of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I hereby confirm that my client, Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, responded to the invitation of the ICPC.

He appeared at about 3p.m on Monday as part of the ongoing investigation into the activities of the fake PFIPC, among other issues.

My client gave his testimony, responded to questions accordingly and has since returned to his duty post.”

Adeyemi Matthew, the self-acclaimed Director-General of the PFIPC, was arrested last week after a court issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

He is believed to be in police custody pending the conclusion of investigations.

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News

Russian warship carried out live firing exercise off UK coast

Published

2 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

A Russian warship carried out a live-fire artillery exercise approximately 46 miles off the coast of Plymouth on Monday, July 20, prompting close monitoring by the Royal Navy.

According to the UK Ministry of Defence, the Russian frigate Neustrashimy notified HMS Tyne, a Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel, of its intention to conduct the exercise before opening fire. A French military aircraft also contacted the vessel over radio to seek clarification on its activities.

The BBC reported that HMS Tyne was asked to move to a safer distance while the live-fire exercise took place, lasting about 30 minutes. The Ministry of Defence said it continues to closely monitor the vessel’s movements.

The incident is the latest involving Russian naval activity near UK waters. Russian warships regularly sail through international waters in the English Channel, although they do not enter British or French territorial waters. Last month, Royal Marine Commandos boarded a Russian “shadow fleet” oil tanker in the Channel during a six-hour operation, marking the first mission of its kind by UK armed forces.

In June, a retired British couple sailing a 40-foot yacht near the Isle of Wight became involved in an incident with the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich. Russia accused the couple of making a dangerous approach, while the couple insisted they were not on a collision course.

The couple said the warship sounded its horn before firing warning shots into the air, an action former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described as “reckless”. The Russian Navy maintained it had attempted to contact the yacht through radio messages, flares and sound signals.

The Admiral Grigorovich had also been monitored continuously by Royal Navy patrol ships for an entire month earlier this year as it escorted Russian vessels through the North Sea, Western Approaches and other international waters.

Late last year, the Russian corvette RFN Stoikiy was intercepted by HMS Severn while transiting the Dover Strait before being handed over to a NATO ally near the French coast. Another Russian vessel, Yantar, which is used to map undersea cables, was also detected operating close to UK waters during the same period.

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News

Tinubu has not borrowed up to N80tn in three years– Nigerian Government

Published

2 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

The Federal Government has refuted reports alleging that President Bola Tinubu’s administration incurred approximately N80 trillion in debt within three years.

The FG clarified that the sweeping total is misleading, explaining that the figure predominantly stems from accounting adjustments and currency revaluations rather than fresh borrowing.

Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, provided the clarification during an economic briefing with the Senate Committee on Finance Monday evening, July 20.

Lawmakers had raised questions regarding reports indicating that the present administration had added nearly N80 trillion to the N75 trillion debt burden it inherited upon taking office.

Addressing the committee, Oyedele stated that the widely circulated figures fail to reflect actual new loans taken by the government.

“When this administration came into office, public debt was around N75tn. Many people simply compare that figure with today’s debt stock and conclude that this government has borrowed massively,” Oyedele said.

The minister elaborated that the sharp devaluation of the naira significantly inflated the local currency equivalent of Nigeria’s existing external debt, given that national debt totals are officially calculated and reported in naira. NigerianFootball News

“However, following the reforms and the depreciation of the naira, the foreign currency component of our public debt had to be revalued because Nigeria reports its debt in naira. That accounting adjustment alone added more than ₦40tn to the public debt figure,” he explained.

Oyedele further noted that approximately N33 trillion was added to the national debt balance following the National Assembly’s approval to securitize Ways and Means advances.

He emphasized that this process did not constitute fresh borrowing, but rather represented the formal recognition of pre-existing obligations.

Meanwhile, members of the Senate Committee on Finance voiced concern over what they characterized as poor implementation of the capital projects outlined in the 2026 budget.

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