Operations were briefly disrupted at the Lagos office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Wednesday as protesting union members blocked access to the premises.
The protest was led by members of the National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE), who sealed the entrance and exit gates in opposition to the agency’s enforcement of its ban on the production and sale of sachet alcohol and alcoholic drinks packaged in PET bottles below 200 millilitres.
The union called for the immediate reopening of affected factories and production lines, warning that continued enforcement of the policy could have far-reaching economic implications for workers and the industry.
Some protesters displayed placards accusing the NAFDAC Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, of acting against government interests and ignoring alleged directives to suspend the policy.
Security operatives later arrived at the agency’s Isolo premises in Lagos, after which the barricade was dismantled and staff were allowed to re-enter the facility, restoring normal access.
The development follows earlier media reports claiming that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the National Security Adviser had directed NAFDAC to suspend the ban and reopen sealed production lines.
However, the agency dismissed the reports, describing them as false and misleading. In a statement issued Wednesday, NAFDAC maintained that it had received no such instruction from the Federal Government of Nigeria and affirmed that its actions remain within its statutory mandate and in line with formally communicated government policies.