Health
NAFDAC plans second phase of sachet alcohol enforcement
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says plans are underway to begin the second phase of enforcement against the sale of sachet alcohol nationwide.
Martins Iluyomade, Director of Investigation and Enforcement at NAFDAC, disclosed this on Wednesday at a news conference in Lagos.
He said the agency had completed the first phase of enforcement, which targeted manufacturers.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the agency began enforcement on the ban of sachet and 200ml PET bottle alcoholic drinks in January.
The enforcement, which generated mixed reactions, according to NAFDAC, was necessitated to align the country with global health standards and Sustainable Development Goal 3.5 on reducing harmful alcohol consumption.
The agency also said the decision was taken to ensure that children do not have access to alcohol and to prevent long-term health problems associated with its consumption.
Mr Iluyomade warned that distributors and sellers found violating the law would face sanctions once the enforcement begins.
“We have finished removing the products from manufacturers, and we are now moving to the next phase, which is removing them from the market,” he said.
“We will investigate how these products are still finding their way into circulation and take appropriate action.”
He emphasised that the nation’s law empowers NAFDAC not only to regulate the manufacture and sale of regulated products but also their use.
“The law gives us authority over manufacture, sale, distribution and use. Consumers should be aware that using products that have been prohibited also places them on the wrong side of the law,” he said.
The director urged market operators who still stock sachet alcohol and other prohibited products to discontinue sales before enforcement begins.
“We have given ample notice. Those who have invested money in these products should take steps now because nobody should accuse NAFDAC of economic sabotage when enforcement starts,” he added.
Mr Iluyomade, also Chairman of the Federal Taskforce, said that the agency would go after advertisers and online vendors promoting unregistered products or making unapproved health claims.
He explained that registered products could be advertised only after obtaining the necessary approvals from the agency.
“Before advertising a regulated product, marketers must obtain NAFDAC approval. This ensures that only approved claims are made about the product.
“Any advertisement that goes beyond what has been approved is a serious offence,” he said.
He further cautioned social media operators, e-commerce platforms and website owners against allowing their platforms to be used for the promotion of unregistered products.
ALSO READ: Sachet Alcohol Ban: Health ministry says it lacks power to stop NAFDAC enforcement
“Whether you are a physical vendor or an online vendor, if your platform is used to advertise unregistered products or products without advertisement permits, we will come after you.
“Many false claims are being made online, and we are determined to stop them,” he said.
The agency reiterated its commitment to protecting public health through strict enforcement of existing regulations and urged Nigerians to comply with the law.
(NAN)
Nigeria is intensifying efforts to strengthen domestic financing for its HIV response as declining international donor support threatens decades of progress in HIV prevention, treatment and care.
The Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Temitope Ilori, made this known on Wednesday at the Nigeria side event during the 26th International AIDS Conference (IAS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Speaking on the theme, “Sustainability: Strengthening Resource Mobilisation for the National HIV Response in Nigeria,” Ms Ilori said the country must transition to a more resilient and self-reliant HIV programme capable of withstanding changing global economic realities.
Ms Ilori said Nigeria has recorded significant progress in tackling HIV over the past two decades through partnerships involving the federal government, development partners, civil society organisations, communities of people living with HIV and the private sector.
However, she warned that changing global economic realities and declining development assistance require the country to rethink how it finances its HIV programme.
“The future of the HIV response depends not only on scientific breakthroughs and effective interventions but also on our collective ability to build resilient, sustainable financing systems that can withstand evolving global economic realities,” she said.
She said sustainability extends beyond replacing donor funding with domestic resources.
According to her, it also requires stronger institutions, improved governance, greater efficiency, innovation and expanded partnerships to ensure available resources deliver maximum impact.
Funding pressures
Ms Ilori’s remarks come as global HIV financing faces increasing pressure.
A recent report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) showed that international donor funding for HIV programmes fell by 25 per cent in 2025, the largest single-year decline since global HIV financing began expanding.
The report attributed the drop largely to reductions in financial support from the United States, stemming from funding delays and the cancellation of several international health programmes.
The funding cuts have disrupted HIV services across several African countries, prompting governments to explore emergency funding measures and longer-term domestic financing options.
In Nigeria, PREMIUM TIMES has reported that reductions in donor support disrupted community-based HIV treatment and support programmes, raising concerns about continuity of care for people living with HIV.
To address the challenge, the federal government launched the National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan (NSP) 2026–2030 in June, which seeks to transition the country’s HIV response from donor dependence to greater domestic financing and national ownership.
Turning lessons into action
As part of efforts to strengthen the national response, Ms Ilori announced that NACA would convene a post-IAS stakeholders’ engagement after the conference.
She said the meeting would review key scientific advances, policy directions and best practices emerging from IAS 2026 and adapt them to Nigeria’s HIV programme.
“We are here not merely to discuss challenges but to identify actionable solutions and forge stronger partnerships that will shape the future of Nigeria’s HIV response,” she said.
Nigeria-Brazil partnership
Also speaking, Nigeria’s Charge d’Affaires to Brazil, Basil Okolo, said the renewed strategic partnership between Nigeria and Brazil presents opportunities to deepen cooperation in the health sector.
READ ALSO: Global HIV funding suffers biggest decline in decades as US cuts threaten progress, UNAIDS warns
He said recent bilateral engagements between the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to expanding collaboration through knowledge exchange, local manufacturing of health commodities, research, regulatory strengthening, and health systems innovation.
Mr Okolo said stronger partnerships among governments, development partners, academia, civil society, communities and the private sector would be critical to achieving sustainable health outcomes.
He thanked Nigeria’s partners for their continued support of the country’s HIV response and called for continued collaboration.
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Health
NNMDA says funding challenges, infrastructure gaps slowing herbal medicine research, integration into healthcare
The Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) has identified inadequate funding, weak research infrastructure and equipment shortages as major obstacles to developing and integrating herbal medicine into Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The Director-General of the agency, Martins Emeje, disclosed this on Tuesday during a one-day working visit by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, to the agency’s headquarters in Lagos.
Mr Emeje said the challenges have slowed efforts to validate traditional medicines scientifically and develop locally produced herbal products that can be safely incorporated into healthcare.
The NNMDA is Nigeria’s only trans-cultural medical research agency responsible for researching, developing and promoting natural medicines derived from the country’s biodiversity.
Funding and infrastructure challenges
According to Mr Emeje, the agency lacks adequate funding to acquire critical research equipment and expand its scientific infrastructure.
He also identified low public awareness of the agency’s activities, inadequate staffing and limited opportunities for capacity development as constraints affecting its operations.
The agency said it also needs to expand its research and development facilities, including experimental medicinal plant farms across the country’s six geopolitical zones, while strengthening pre-clinical and clinical studies needed to establish the safety and effectiveness of herbal medicines.
Mr Emeje further raised concerns over what he described as unclear guidelines for the clinical evaluation of herbal medicines and their integration into Nigeria’s healthcare system.
He added that traditional medicine knowledge continues to suffer from poor public perception despite Nigeria’s rich biodiversity and abundance of medicinal plants.
Call for clinical laboratory
The agency’s director-general said one of its most urgent needs is a clinical observation laboratory to support scientific evaluation of herbal medicines.
He also requested the construction of chalets to accommodate researchers who often work beyond normal office hours.
Responding, Mr Udeh acknowledged the agency’s request and said the ministry would explore alternative financing options instead of relying solely on government budget allocations.
“The clinical observatory lab, which has been one of the major needs of the agency that’s been brought to my attention, is something that even the DG has mentioned, and we are not talking about taking the responsibility to have it done by tomorrow,” Mr Udeh said.
“We are sitting down today to innovatively identify ways of accessing funds to have it done. It mustn’t be budgeted funds. From what we are doing here, stakeholders can support in doing it. Stakeholders from the private sector can support it. We can also access some grants and other funds that we can use to make this a reality.”
The minister added that some ‘stakeholders’ had already expressed willingness to support the agency’s work.
Nigeria-India collaboration
During the visit, India’s Consul in Lagos, Kannan Chockalingam, called for stronger collaboration between Nigeria and India in traditional medicine.
He said the partnership could focus on biodiversity conservation, quality assurance, scientific validation and innovation in herbal medicine.
According to him, innovation in traditional medicine involves applying modern scientific methods to validate and standardise existing indigenous knowledge, creating opportunities for research, product development and integration into national healthcare systems.
READ ALSO: Digital tools alone cannot fix Nigeria’s health system — Experts
Seven herbal products unveiled
The minister also unveiled seven locally developed herbal products designed for the management of conditions including cancer, hepatitis, peptic ulcers, high cholesterol, hypertension and male sexual health.
He commended Mr Emeje for his leadership and pledged to engage industry stakeholders to accelerate the commercialisation of the agency’s herbal products.
“We will engage industry leaders on how to get these products into the market,” Mr Udeh said.
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