Workers in companies producing sachet alcoholic drinks, backed by some civil society organisations, have warned of a possible nationwide protest if the ban on sachet alcohol and PET bottles below 200 millilitres is not lifted.
The workers staged another protest on Monday at the Lagos office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, marking their second demonstration within three days.
Last Friday, employees of the Food, Beverages, and Tobacco Senior Staff Association and the National Union of Food, Beverages, and Tobacco Employees also picketed the NAFDAC office, protesting the enforcement of the ban, which they said was disrupting production and threatening livelihoods.
The unions have repeatedly cautioned that the policy could directly and indirectly affect more than five million Nigerians.
Although the Director-General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, met with protest leaders after the Friday demonstration, she maintained that the ban would remain in force unless the relevant legislation gets amended.
At Monday’s protest, members of FOBTOB and NUFBTE, joined by the Coalition for the Protection of Consumers’ Rights, displayed placards and chanted solidarity songs.
Addressing journalists, FOBTOB National President Oyibo Jimoh, said discussions with the House of Representatives were ongoing to develop a comprehensive national alcohol policy that would accommodate the concerns of all stakeholders rather than impose a total ban.
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He criticised NAFDAC for sealing factories while policy talks were still underway, describing the action as inconsistent with the Federal Government’s position. Jimoh also dismissed claims by the NAFDAC boss on the alcohol content of sachet beverages, alleging that the figures were misleading.
According to him, labour unions were excluded from Senate deliberations that led to the factory shutdowns, and the workers would continue to press their demands.
Similarly, the NUFBTE Head of Brewery and Tobacco Department, Azeez Rasaq, said the union was prepared to mobilise a nationwide protest if necessary. He noted that organised labour bodies such as the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress would not ignore the prospect of millions losing their jobs.
“If the government continues to ignore our appeals, it could spark a nationwide protest,” Rasaq said.
Speaking for the civil society groups, Declan Ihekaira argued that the ban unfairly restricted low-income earners’ access to alcoholic beverages and violated consumers’ rights. He added that the groups were ready to mobilise members across the country to push for a reversal of the policy.
One of the affected workers, Biodun Adeyemi, said he was willing to join a nationwide protest, stressing that job losses would have severe consequences for families dependent on the industry.
“If taking to the streets is the only way to make the government understand our situation, then we are prepared to do so,” he said.
Also speaking, FOBTOB Lagos State Chairman, Olamiye Somefun, warned that the union might take the protest to Abuja if their concerns were ignored. He said the workers could march to the National Assembly to demand lawmakers’ intervention, questioning whether the policy aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s promise to improve Nigerians’ welfare.
