On February 1, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) announced that it had begun to implement its ban on alcohol packaged in sachets, PET and glass bottles of 200ml and below.

The agency stated that January 31 was the last day for the importation, production, distribution and sales of alcohol in these containers, as an agreement was reached for them to be completely phased out by 2024, starting from January 31, 2022.

FIJ found on Tuesday that the ban imposed by the regulatory body was not effective in several parts of Lagos, as the product was still largely distributed and sold.

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FIJ also found retailers with huge stocks of the prohibited packages who had no idea of their ban.

In Irawo, Ikorodu, FIJ met two female retailers who knew nothing about the ban. One of them, who is well advanced in age, sat back in her chair as she told FIJ that she had only restocked her goods on Monday, nearly two weeks after NAFDAC started to enforce the ban.

FIJ saw that she had rows of neatly arranged Chelsea London Dry Gin, DeRok Chocolate Liqueur, Squadron Blended Dark Rum, Eagle Aromatic Schnapps, Action Bitters, among others, in her store.

“I know nothing about the ban on alcohol in sachets, PET and glass bottles,” she told FIJ with worry on her face.

“I went to the market on Monday to restock, and nobody told me anything. As a matter of fact, the person I bought it from still had cartons of it in stock and he was also unaware of the ban.”

The other woman also echoed the first retailer’s unfamiliarity with enforcement, saying that she was yet to exhaust her present stock and knew nothing about the prohibition on the sale of sachet alcohol.

She had a few rolls of DeRok Chocolate Liqueur in her store and planned to restock at any moment.

“I have no idea that NAFDAC has imposed a ban on the sale of alcohol in sachets, she told FIJ.

“I haven’t gone to the market in a while, and I was just planning to replenish my supply.”

FIJ also found at Ikorodu Garage that while alcohol is generally prohibited in the parks by the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), some retailers sell them discreetly, while some drivers also patronise them covertly.

Ahmed, one of the NURTW officials, told FIJ that before the enforcement of the ban by the regulatory agency, their union had prohibited drivers from drinking sachet alcohol while working.

“We already have a running order from the NURTW that no driver should drink and drive, particularly from sachet alcohol,” he told FIJ.

“While they can buy it outside the park, no one is allowed to trade it here. Look around, you will barely see sachets of alcohol littering the expressway.

“But then, it is not possible to completely ban the production of alcohol in sachets because everyone is currently frustrated. Some people believe that once they quickly sip alcohol, which the sachet affords them, they’ll be back to normal.”

Meanwhille, Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of NAFDAC, had stated that her agency would phase out the product in partnership with the transport union.

“We intend to work with the NURTW to ensure the enforcement of the banned products. We surely will work on that and ensure that they are stopped and phased out,” she said.

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FIJ observed two separate spots directly in front of the Oriwu Central Mosque, where the products were concealed in wrapped clothes to be sold.

When FIJ called the regulatory agency on Tuesday to ask why the ban was yet to be successfully implemented, the phone numbers available on their website were switched off.