Petty traders and retailers of fast-moving consumer goods across Nigeria have protested the continued enforcement of the ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and small containers below 20cl.
The traders said the enforcement by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control was threatening their livelihoods, particularly through the confiscation of their stock.
The protests, including a recent demonstration in Ibadan, Oyo State, centred on the economic impact of the enforcement on small retailers and distributors who said they depended on the sale of the products for daily income.
The affected traders said many had invested personal savings and borrowed money to establish and operate their businesses and were now facing financial difficulties following the seizure of their goods.
The spokesperson for the Concerned Drink Sellers, Distributors and Traders Across Nigeria, Oluwatosin Adebisi, appealed to President Bola Tinubu, NAFDAC Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, and lawmakers across the country to consider the impact of the enforcement on small businesses.
Adebisi said many traders had obtained bank loans to finance their businesses and should not be made to bear the consequences of problems they were not responsible for.
“We don’t sell alcohol to minors, as we also know the implications as parents. Our means of livelihood should not be taken away as a sacrifice for what we are not responsible for,” he said.
Another retailer, Adekemi Lateef, argued that sellers should not be held responsible for minors gaining access to alcoholic drinks.
“Any minor exposed to alcohol has such exposure from their parents and not sellers. We should not be held responsible for parental failure,” she said.
Bukola Ayeni, another trader, urged the Federal Government and NAFDAC to reconsider the approach to enforcement and take into account the impact on small-scale traders and distributors.
“We humbly appeal to the Federal Government and NAFDAC to consider our plight as petty traders and distributors whose livelihoods depend on this industry,” she said.
Ayeni said the enforcement had severely affected businesses and left many traders struggling to remain financially viable.
NAFDAC responds
Responding to the protesters in Ibadan, the Deputy Director and Head of NAFDAC’s South-West Zonal Office, Isaac Kolawole, assured them that their concerns would be communicated to the agency’s Director-General for consideration.
The traders are seeking relief from what they described as the economic consequences of the enforcement, while NAFDAC maintains responsibility for regulating food, drugs and other products under its mandate.
