The Director General of Spirits and Wines Association of Nigeria (SWAN)Mr. Tony Okwoju, has called on journalists to play more active role in tackling the growing menace of illicit alcohol trade in the country.

Okwoju who made the appeal while speaking as a guest at the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN)’s monthly breakfast roundtable,  which took place on Friday, March 27, in Lagos, sought partnership with BJAN to combat adulterated drinks.

The session focused on strategies to curb the proliferation of counterfeit alcoholic beverages.

Okwoju emphasized the critical role of the media in raising awareness and ensuring accurate reporting of illicit trade activities. He noted that such efforts are essential to protecting consumers’ health, safeguarding industry investments, and preventing significant revenue losses to the government.

He also used the forum to announce a one-day stakeholders’ workshop scheduled for April 22, 2026, which will bring together enforcement agencies and key industry players to develop practical solutions to the challenge of illicit trade.

According to SWAN, the rise in counterfeit alcohol poses a threefold threat, eroding government revenue, undermining billions of naira in private sector investments, and endangering public health.

Citing a Deloitte report, Okwoju revealed that Nigeria loses an estimated ₦472 billion annually to illicit alcohol trade, representing about 40 per cent of the market share.

He warned of the severe health dangers posed by adulterated products, noting that illegal producers often substitute ethanol with methanol, a highly toxic industrial alcohol. Methanol, he explained, is colorless and odorless, making it difficult to detect, but can cause blindness, organ failure, or even death.

“These counterfeiters are not just faking brands; they are putting lives at risk,” he said.

Okwoju further identified low public awareness and weak enforcement as key factors enabling the illegal trade to thrive, particularly in major commercial centres.

To address this, he outlined measures adopted by SWAN members, including aggressive retrieval and destruction of used bottles to prevent their reuse by counterfeiters.

He explained that criminal networks often collect empty branded bottles from bars and waste dumps, refill them with harmful substances, and reintroduce them into the market. In response, manufacturers now deploy teams to collect and crush used bottles, despite the additional cost, before sending them for recycling.

The upcoming April 22 forum, he added, will convene regulators, government agencies, and industry stakeholders to strengthen coordinated efforts against counterfeit alcohol in Nigeria.

In his remarks, BJAN Chairman, Daniel Obi, described the engagement as a reflection of growing collaboration between both associations. He stressed the importance of partnership in promoting responsible consumption, improving industry standards, and supporting sustainable growth in Nigeria’s beverage sector.

Obi added that the media, working alongside organisations like SWAN, can help shape positive narratives and contribute meaningfully to national development.