Members of the National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) are currently occupying the NAFDAC office complex in Isolo, Lagos, to protest the agency’s refusal to comply with alleged Federal Government’s directive to suspend enforcement of the ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets.
The union is calling on NAFDAC to unseal production lines that were shut down, citing a directive allegedly issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Meanwhile, NAFDAC on Wednesday dismissed claims that the Federal Government ordered it to suspend enforcement of the ban on sachet and PET-bottled alcohol.
Earlier this month, NAFDAC began implementing the nationwide prohibition on the production and sale of alcohol packaged in sachets and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.
However, reports circulating on social media on Wednesday suggested that the agency had been instructed to halt the ban’s enforcement.