Tensions escalated at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Isolo office in Lagos on Thursday as members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) staged their seventh consecutive day of protest against the agency’s enforcement of the ban on sachet alcohol and 10cl PET bottled products.
Protesters, numbering in the hundreds, chanted “No work for us, no work for you” while blocking the office entrance from around 7:00 a.m., effectively preventing staff from entering the premises for nearly two hours. The demonstration temporarily halted operations until officers from the Nigeria Police Force, Odi-Olowo Division, intervened around 11:00 a.m. to reopen access. The protest remained peaceful, with no reports of violence or arrests according to Daily Post.
Truth Live News recalls that the industrial action stems from NAFDAC’s aggressive sealing of numerous indigenous factories, depots, and warehouses nationwide following the ban. Unions claim the closures have been indiscriminate, affecting facilities storing lawful products unrelated to the prohibited items, leading to widespread job losses, staff dismissals, and severe economic hardship for workers and their families.
Jeffery Igein, National Secretary of FOBTOB, underscored the unions’ resolve, “This is Day 7, and we are not backing down. We will continue until our concerns are acknowledged.”
TUC Secretary Comrade Anthony Oyaga strongly criticised the enforcement under NAFDAC Director-General Mojisola Adeyeye, describing it as economically destructive rather than genuine regulation.
“Indigenous manufacturing facilities are being shut down indiscriminately. Factories, depots, and warehouses, including those storing lawful products unrelated to the banned items, are being sealed. This is not regulation; it is deliberate economic strangulation,” Oyaga said.
He warned of broader consequences, including ripple effects on transporters, raw material suppliers, distributors, retailers, market vendors, artisans, warehouse staff, and logistics operators. “An economy cannot thrive when industries are closed instead of being properly regulated,” Oyaga added.
The unions highlighted that prolonged closures risk deepening youth poverty, fueling social vices, and threatening national security. They described affected workers as “not criminals” but “workers, producers, parents, and taxpayers” who are Nigerians deserving fair treatment.
FOBTOB and allied unions demanded the immediate reopening of sealed facilities, reversal of staff dismissals, reinstatement of affected workers, and a shift to structured dialogue and proper regulatory measures instead of punitive closures. They called for urgent intervention by President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, state governors, traditional and religious leaders, and civil society organisations.
Union leaders vowed the protests would persist until their grievances are fully addressed, signaling potential for further escalation if no resolution is reached soon.
