“Let beverage workers breathe”-Distillers protest against sachet alcohol ban in Lagos

Employees of the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) staged a protest at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) office in Lagos, located in the Isolo area.Drivetvnews gathered the information that they Carried placards bearing messages such as “Let poor Nigerians breathe” and “Let beverage workers breathe,” members of the association expressed their grievances against NAFDAC’s enforcement of the ban on alcoholic beverages in sachets and glass bottles of 200ml and below, which took effect on February 1, 2024. NAFDAC Director General, Mojisola Adeyeye, emphasized that such beverages lacked registration with NAFDAC.On February 13, 2024, members of the Food, Beverage, and Tobacco Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), issued a 14-day ultimatum to NAFDAC to reverse the ban on sachet alcohol during a protest at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja. The association threatened to escalate protests nationwide if their demands were not met.