It's a hot early afternoon on a tree-lined street in FESTAC town, a popular residential estate in Lagos. People take shelter in the shade beside a local restaurant. Cash vendors work the curb near a major hotel, and at a roadside kiosk, two Seaman's Aromatic Schnapps sachets go for 200 Naira ($0.12, €0.11). 

Philip, who buys sachets "almost every day," says he prefers to "take it small, small" rather than buy a large bottle. "I plan it…I have a minimum and a maximum." For him, sachets are about volume control, not price. "If there is no sachet, I can switch to a bigger one… It depends on my mood," he told DW.

Nigeria's food and drug regulator, NAFDAC, has long planned a phase-out of alcohol packaged in sachets and in plastic bottles of less than 200ml (0.05 gallons). It announced the ban would be enforced as planned from December last year, but disagreement between government agencies has created confusion and ambiguity about whether the ban is actually in force. The policy is intended to reduce alcohol abuse by minors and drivers.

Conflicting directives are causing confusion

At a Lagos press briefing in late January 2026, NAFDAC Director General Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye stated that enforcement had resumed, saying the agency had received a "matching order" from the Senate. But NAFDAC's statement conflicts with a December 15, 2025, directive issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), ordering an immediate suspension of all enforcement actionspending consultations and a final directive. The statement also added that any action taken without OSGF clearance "should be disregarded." 

At the time of publication, there was no public OSGF notice lifting that suspension, leaving manufacturers, retailers and buyers guessing which order to obey. 

Segun Ajayi-Kadir, director general of Nigeria's Manufacturers Association (MAN), says that a "renewed ban" would hurt the economy, disrupt compliant producers, and encourage the sale of illicit, unregulated products. He added that operators are "confused as to which directive to follow." 

According to Ajayi-Kadir, alcohol packaged in sachets serves low-income adult consumers, and an outright ban would limit their choice.

On January 23, members of Nigeria's labour unions, including the country's Distillers and Blenders Association, held demonstrations outside NAFDAC's Lagos office, holding placards that read: "Local manufacturers deserve protection, not frustration" and "5.5 million Nigerians cannot be pushed to the streets." They argue that the ban risks jobs and investments. 

Each sachet has its 'own work' in the body

For Amara Ruth, who has sold alcohol packaged in sachets at her roadside kiosk in FESTAC town since 2019, demand has not dipped. "People always buy," she told DW. "At night sales are very high," she said, adding that afternoons also bring in a steady flow of clients. Pricing is simple: 100 Naira for the smaller sachet, 200 Naira for the larger one.

Ruth believes buyers would still pay even if prices rose, because sachets are an inexpensive entry point. Her bestsellers range from gins used for libation to bitters and "manpower" brands popular for sexual enhancement. "Each sachet has its own work they do in the body," she explained. Nigerian bitters drinks are herbal-based alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks that are traditionally believed to provide the body with various health benefits.  

"Nobody from NAFDAC has come here. Nobody at all," she says, recalling only a temporary squeeze on one bitters brand last year. Ruth sometimes refuses sales to older men who get drunk quickly or to young buyers she does not trust, but admitted that children may buy for adults.

Philip's experience is similar. He says availability has not tightened since talk of a ban began. "Nothing changed. It's even multiplied. In Lagos, you can get it anywhere, within 20 meters, you have one." On youth access, he adds: "If they want to get it, they will get it."

 A 2019 report published in African Health Sciences revealed 30% alcohol use among young Nigerians. The World Health Organization's (WHO)Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health (2018) estimated heavy episodic drinking among Nigerians aged 15–19 at 22.5%, one of the highest rates in Africa. 

Alcohol in sachets linked to road accidents, domestic violence

Civil society groups like CAPPA, a regional corporate accountability organisation, and NHED, a Nigerian Health Equity NGO, argue that sachets make high-strength alcohol easy for young people to obtain and conceal, linking widespread use to road crashes, school dropouts, domestic violence and early addiction. 

Several African countries have restricted or banned sachet alcohol on health grounds. Kenya in 2004 andCote d'Ivoire in 2016, with additional actions in Malawi, Cameroon and Tanzania. 

In Nigeria, the question is no longer about availability — sachets remain widely sold — but about who is responsible for enforcement, with NAFDAC announcing a crackdown while the OSGF's suspension order remains in place.

Back in FESTAC town, very little appears to have shifted. At Amara's kiosk, sachets continue to sell alongsidebeer and sodas, and demand remains steady through the day.

For consumers like Philip, the appeal is still convenience and control over how much they drink. But until the authorities resolve the conflicting directives and set out how enforcement should work at street level, drinkers can allay their confusion with an alcohol sachet of their choice.

Edited by: Chrispin Mwakideu