Workers reject sachet alcohol ban, threaten nationwide protest

Workers in companies that manufacture sachet alcoholic drinks, alongside several civil society groups, have warned that a nationwide protest may be unavoidable if the Federal Government fails to reverse the ban on sachet alcohol and PET bottles below 200ml.

The warning was issued on Monday when aggrieved workers gathered at the Lagos office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) along the Oshodi–Apapa Expressway, marking their second protest within three days.

According to the unions, the policy could negatively impact at least five million Nigerians, either directly or indirectly.

Although the Director-General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, later met with protest leaders after the Friday demonstration, she reportedly maintained that the ban would remain in force unless existing legislation was amended.

During Monday’s protest, members of FOBTOB and NUFBTE, alongside representatives of the Coalition for the Protection of Consumers’ Rights, were seen displaying placards and chanting solidarity songs.

Addressing journalists, the National President of FOBTOB, Oyibo Jimoh, said discussions with the House of Representatives were focused on formulating a comprehensive national alcohol policy that would address the concerns of all parties rather than imposing a total ban.

He explained that while consultations on the policy were still ongoing, NAFDAC proceeded to shut down factories, a move he described as contrary to the position of the Federal Government.

Jimoh further accused the NAFDAC Director-General of making misleading claims about the alcohol content of sachet drinks, alleging that such statements were intended to misrepresent facts.

He also lamented that labour unions were excluded from Senate discussions that culminated in the closure of their factories, stressing that the workers would continue to press their demands until they were addressed.

Also speaking, the Head of the Brewery and Tobacco Department at NUFBTE, Azeez Rasaq, said the union was prepared to escalate the issue by mobilising workers across the country.

Rasaq said, “A time will come when we will have to approach the central labour unions, both the TUC and NLC, because they can’t see the possibility of 5.5 million Nigerians losing their jobs and remain silent.

Definitely, they will take it up. If the government continues to ignore our calls, it could lead to a nationwide protest. It is very possible.”

Representing the civil society organisations, Declan Ihekaira argued that the ban was aimed at denying low-income earners access to alcoholic beverages, adding that such action violated consumers’ rights. He noted that the CSOs were ready to mobilise their members nationwide to resist the policy if it was not reversed.

One of the affected workers, Biodun Adeyemi, said he was ready to join a nationwide protest, noting that job losses would have serious consequences for workers and their families.

“It will affect many staff, and I could be one of them. I also have a family that survives on my income, including extended family members. You can imagine the multiplier effect of this decision.

“If the only language the DG or the government understands is people taking to the streets in large numbers, then we are ready to do that to draw attention to our plight,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Chairman of FOBTOB, Olamiye Somefun, said the union might take its protest to the National Assembly if their concerns continued to be ignored.

“Our next option is to march to Abuja and storm the National Assembly to tell our lawmakers to hear our grievances. What President Bola Tinubu promised Nigerians on May 29 was to improve our lives.

We do not know if the NAFDAC DG is working against that agenda,” Somefun added.