Operations at the Lagos office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) were disrupted on Wednesday after protesting union members barricaded the agency’s premises in Isolo.
Staff who arrived early to resume duty were forced to remain outside the complex as members of the National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees blocked both the entrance and exit gates.
The protest is in response to NAFDAC’s continued enforcement of the ban on alcoholic beverages sold in sachets and PET bottles below 200 millilitres.
The union is demanding the immediate unsealing of affected factories and production lines. It warned that sustained enforcement of the policy could trigger significant economic consequences across the industry.
Earlier this month, union members also picketed the Lagos NAFDAC office. They accused the agency of refusing to comply with what they described as a Federal Government directive to suspend enforcement of the ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets.
The union claimed that directives had been issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the National Security Adviser, calling for the suspension of enforcement and the reopening of sealed production lines.
However, NAFDAC dismissed the claims. The agency maintained that it had not received any official instruction from the Federal Government to halt enforcement of the ban on sachet and PET-bottled alcohol.
Police officers were later seen at the Isolo premises as tensions persisted.
Subsequently, the barricade was lifted and NAFDAC staff were allowed back into the complex, restoring access to the office.
Representatives of the Director-General of NAFDAC later engaged the protesting union in talks. The meeting, however, ended without resolution as demonstrators insisted their agitation would continue.
Union leaders presented their concerns during closed-door discussions with a director within the agency and the Special Assistant to the Director-General. No agreement was reached.
The protesters urged NAFDAC to reconsider what they described as strict enforcement of the sachet alcohol ban. They proposed that the agency focus instead on regulating access to such products by restricting sales to minors and intensifying public enlightenment campaigns on responsible consumption.
As of the time of filing this report, protesters remained gathered at the agency’s premises, vowing to sustain their action until their demands are addressed.
