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Protesters led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB), yesterday besieged the office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), in Isolo, Lagos, as the standoff over the ban on sachet alcohol entered seventh day.
The protest is linked to NAFDAC’s enforcement of a ban affecting sachet alcohol and 10cl PET bottled products, which has resulted in the sealing of several indigenous factories, depots and warehouses nationwide.
Chanting, “No work for us, no work for you,” the protesters blocked the entrance of the office as early as 7am and prevented workers of the agency from accessing the premises for over two hours.
Normal operations were disrupted until officers of the Nigeria Police Force from the Odi-Olowo Divisional headquarters intervened, restoring access to the building around 11am.
No incidents of violence were reported but union leaders vowed that the protest would continue until their grievances were addressed and sealed factories reopened.
“This is day seven and we are not backing down. We will continue until our cry is heard,” Jeffery Igein, national secretary of FOBTOB said, echoing the mood of hundreds of aggrieved workers gathered outside the premises.
In a statement issued during the protest, Anthony Oyaga, secretary of Trade Union Congress (TUC), described the enforcement approach under the incumbent NAFDAC boss, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, as unjust and economically damaging.
“Across the country, indigenous manufacturing companies are being sealed. Factories are being shut down. Depots are being closed. Warehouses are being locked, including those containing other lawful products not connected to the targeted items,” the statement read.
The union questioned why the entire facilities were being closed instead of applying targeted regulatory controls.
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“This is not regulation; this is calculated economic suffocation,” the statement added.
The union warned that workers were already losing jobs and families were beginning to feel the financial strain. According to the statement, the ripple effects extend beyond factory workers to transporters, raw material suppliers, distributors, retailers, market women, artisans, warehouse operators and logistics personnel.
“An economy cannot survive when industries are shut down instead of regulated.”
The workers also raised concerns that prolonged shut downs could push vulnerable youths into poverty and social vices, warning of broader national security implications if the situation persists.
FOBTOB called for urgent intervention from President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, governors, traditional rulers, religious leaders and civil society organisations.
“We are not criminals. We are workers. We are producers. We are parents. We are taxpayers. We are Nigerians.”
The union is demanding the immediate reopening of sealed factories, depots and warehouses, urging the authorities to replace what they describe as repression with dialogue and structured regulation.
As the protest enters its seventh day, tensions remain high, with workers insisting they would sustain their action until their demands were met and what they call economic strangulation reversed.
