NOA BEGINS NATIONWIDE ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BAN ON SACHET ALCOHOLIC DRINKS.

The National Orientation Agency, NOA has launched a nationwide enforcement campaign to implement the Federal Government’s ban on sachet alcoholic drinks and alcohol packaged in PET or glass bottles below 200 milli-litres.

The campaign was flagged off a few days ago at the Agency’s headquarters in Abuja, where the Director-General, Lanre Issa-Onilu, described the move as a long-planned public health intervention rather than a sudden policy decision, stressing that the Federal Government had engaged manufacturers and other stakeholders for eight years, allowing time for adjustment before the ban took effect on January 1, 2026.

In a statement signed by the Agency’s Director of Communication and Media, Bala Musa, NOA noted that the policy is aimed at curbing the easy access of cheap, high-concentrated alcohol to minors and underage persons, adding that enforcing the ban is a national responsibility and called on the media to support the effort in the interest of public health.

Speaking at the briefing, the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, cited findings from a 2021 national survey which revealed that 54.3 percent of minors purchase alcohol themselves, with nearly half accessing it through sachets and small PET bottles.

The agency noted that the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC also reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring compliance, emphasizing that protecting consumers from harmful market practices remains a priority. 

The joint initiative, involving NOA, NAFDAC and FCCPC, will leverage nationwide sensitization, grassroots mobilization and media advocacy to strengthen enforcement and protect young Nigerians.