Operations at the Lagos office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) were brought to a standstill on Wednesday after protesting members of the National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees barricaded the agency’s premises in Isolo.
Staff who arrived early to begin their workday were denied entry as union members blocked both the main gate and exit points, effectively shutting down activities at the facility.
The protest stems from NAFDAC’s continued enforcement of its ban on alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and PET bottles smaller than 200 millilitres.
The union is demanding the immediate unsealing of affected factories and production lines, warning that sustained enforcement could have far-reaching economic consequences for manufacturers, distributors, and workers across the beverage industry.
This is not the first show of resistance. Earlier in the month, union members also picketed the Lagos office, accusing the agency of ignoring what they described as a Federal Government directive to suspend enforcement of the ban.
According to union leaders, communications from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the National Security Adviser had called for a pause in enforcement and the reopening of sealed facilities.
NAFDAC, however, firmly rejected the claims, stating that it had not received any official instruction from the Federal Government to halt implementation of the policy.
Tensions heightened as police officers were later deployed to the Isolo premises to monitor the situation. The barricade was eventually lifted, allowing staff to return to their offices and restoring access to the complex.
In a bid to resolve the impasse, representatives of the NAFDAC Director-General met with union leaders in closed-door talks. Despite extensive discussions involving a senior director within the agency and the Special Assistant to the Director-General, the meeting ended without a breakthrough, as protesters insisted their agitation would continue.
The union is urging NAFDAC to reconsider what it describes as rigid enforcement of the sachet alcohol ban. Instead, it advocates stricter regulation of access — particularly measures to prevent sales to minors — alongside intensified public awareness campaigns promoting responsible alcohol consumption.
As of the latest developments, protesters remain at the agency’s premises, resolute in their demand for policy reconsideration and vowing to sustain their action until their concerns are addressed.
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