Operations at the Lagos office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) were disrupted on Wednesday after members of the national union of food, beverage and tobacco employees barricaded the agency’s premises in Isolo.
Staff who arrived early were forced to remain outside as protesters blocked the entrance and exit gates.
The union is demanding the immediate unsealing of factories and production lines affected by NAFDAC’s enforcement of the ban on alcoholic beverages sold in sachets and PET bottles below 200 millilitres.
According to union sources, sustained enforcement of the policy could have “significant economic consequences across the industry.”
The protest follows a similar demonstration earlier this month, when union members alleged that directives from the office of the secretary to the government of the federation and the national security adviser called for a temporary halt to the enforcement.
NAFDAC, however, dismissed the claims, stating it had received no official instruction from the federal government to suspend the ban.
Police later arrived at the Isolo premises, and the barricade was eventually lifted, allowing staff to resume work.