The Enugu State Government has warned members of the public, particularly individuals and companies involved in equipment leasing to exercise due diligence before leasing their equipments for illegal activities.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Enugu by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof Chidiebere Onyia, the government said it would not hesitate to impound and auction any equipment leased to individuals or companies engaging in illegal activities that may impact government assets or interests such as construction, mining, agriculture, and others.

The statement further advised leasing companies to exercise due diligence in their search about companies and individuals and the purpose of leasing before releasing their equipments and other tools to them.

“Entities or persons that are engaging in leasing of equipments are obligated, as imposed duties, to approach appropriate government agencies and carry out background checks on the authenticity and authority of any person or company to engage in construction activities, agriculture, mining or any other activity that may impact government property or interest.

“Failure to carry out due diligence before leasing out equipments which turn out to be deployed for fraudulent activities will attract severe consequences as impounded vehicles, equipments and other materials will be auctioned,” the statement read.

Recall that the state government had previously lamented the illegal activities of some unscrupulous elements operating in the state without authorization, stressing the environmental and climate impact of the activities.

World Chocolate Day 2024 took on a delicious new meaning as the Promasidor brands – Miksi Chocolate, Cowbell Chocolate, and Twisco – brought lots of excitement for many chocolate lovers in Nigeria.

The World Chocolate Day 2024 celebration was Twisco, Cowbell Choco and Miksi Choco’s way of celebrating Chocolate in Nigeria, through recreational activities, fun games, painting and relaxation.   

This year’s edition took place on Sunday May 7, 2024, in several locations across Nigeria, Ikeja City Mall, Circle Mall Lekki, Asaba Mall, Jabi Mall Abuja and PHC Mall.

Speaking, Lillian Omorenuwa, the brand manager for Beverage Category at  Promasidor said “We’re excited to celebrate World Chocolate Day with kids and moms. Our powdered Choco beverages are the perfect way to indulge in the rich, velvety goodness of chocolate. We want everyone to “Get Your Choco On” while making the day a chocolate-filled celebration to remember”.

The incredible event demonstrated the brands’ dedication to injecting joy and excitement into Nigerian homes, even amidst challenging economic times.

It also underscored the versatility and health advantages of chocolate, especially Choco beverages, while offering a plethora of enjoyable activities such as a bouncy castle, face painting, puzzles, and more.

Commenting on the event, Olutayo Olukayode, one of the parents who graced the event commended the company for bringing such a relief and fun packed activities for the children.  “I am impressed by what is going on here, although I came around for something else, and I saw this event going on because I came with my children. We should give credit to the organisers, particularly we enjoyed Twisco, Cowbell Choco and Miksi Choco delicacies.

Also speaking, Femi Oludele, another parent at the event noted that “Cowbell is celebrating World’s Chocolate Day, and creating awareness that there is a day specially marked out for people to celebrate chocolate day. It is good gesture from the brands to the children and everyone.  This will allow the children to cool off stress and may also avail the parents and guardian also the opportunity to relax their nerves. So, it is a good and welcome development, and we thank Promasidor for Organizing it”.

How Chioma Egodi’s False Accusations Prompted Erisco Foods to Defend Its Reputation.

On this matter, A social commentator by the name Ebuka Amos, Has this in writing;

UNVEILING THE TRUTH AND EXPOSING THE LIES.

Did Chioma Egodi Review Erisco’s Nagiko Tomato Mix or Was She On A Mission To Destroy Erisco Foods And Run It Out Of Business? Be The Judge

On September 17th, 2023, Chioma Egodi Jnr in a facebook post on her timeline made the following statement;

“I went to but (buy) Tin Tomatoes yesterday that I will use to make stew, I didn’t see Gino and Sonia, so I decided to buy this one, (referring to Erisco Nagiko tomato mix), I decided to taste it omo! Sugar is juat (just) too much! Haaa biko let me know if you have used this Tin tomato before because this is an ike gwuru situation!”

The said post generated lots of reactions from her followers and facebook users; below are some of the reactions:

One Blessing Okeke responded “Stop spoiling my brother’s product, if you don’t like it use another one than bring it on social media or call the customer service of Erisco Foods Ltd” Chioma Egodi Jnr, responded to Blessing Okeke by writing “help me advise your brother to stop ki***ing (killing) people with his product, yesterday was my first time of using and its pure sugar. Tueh!

Lets look at that response in a proper perspective. Is that response still product review or product destruction? She just alleged that Erisco’s product is killing people. This is a very serious allegation and where and how did she get the information that the product is killing people? (is this a product review?). Be the judge. More so,

One Amaka Love Amaobi responded by writing “my sister thanks for updating us Dalu nne” (now based on Chioma Egodi allegation, this person will never use Erisco’s products again and moreso, through the word-of-mouth advert which is the most effective form of advert, she will spread this allegation to multiples of people)

One Don Kashking responded: Pls can we now spoil the product? And Chioma replied him by stating “done already bro,…The above statement is a clear conspiracy from Chioma Egodi and syndicate to destroy, damage and wreck the brand, Ersico.

They have moved from product review to product destruction.

Apart from the comments above, there were many more comments suggesting that the Erisco Nagiko Mix is a bad product and people should avoid it. Interestingly, there were many positive reviews from some of the users of the products, who gave positive reviews of the products and blatantly condemned what Chioma Egodi was doing. They cautioned Chioma Egodi that what she was doing was not a review but deliberate act to destroy Erisco Foods and it’s products.

Chioma responded to them by the write up below;

“@followers about my post yesterday concerning the sugary Tin Tomatoes, my inbox has seen a lot ooo, pls help me tell these persons to avoid me. I only ask if anybody has used it to give their honest opinion but these people is attacking me on my inbox that I am spoiling business for their brother, pls it’s enough stop it. We can take this matter to court oo if you want.”

You can see that Chioma was the first person that talked about going to court.

So, why the outcry now that the matter is in court? Furthermore, an interesting observation from the conversations on the comments section of her post is that she abused those that had positive comments about Erisco Nagiko Mix and made thumbs up (supported) for those that criticized it.

More so, some people advised her to pull down the post that she’s destroying someone’s business but she blatantly refused. It became evident that the intent and purposes of Chioma Egodi was not to review the product but was out to destroy it.

It was further evident that she was hired to destroy the product using her platform. Erisco Responds To Chioma Egodi’s AllegationWhen the management of Erisco Foods Ltd was notified about the post by Chioma Egodi, they enquired from there customer relations department if there was any official complaint from her on their product, they found none. They reached out to Chioma Egodi through a third party requesting her to bring the product she claimed to buy for verification to ensure if wasn’t a fake one, but she declined.

The management had no choice than to defend its reputation as the tense situation already generated a campaign of calumny to boycott Erisco’s products.Prompt Corporate Response Erisco Foods, aware of the weight words carry in the digital era, especially when concerning public health, took these accusations seriously.

The company, recognizing the potential harm such statements could have on consumer trust and public safety, responded promptly. They maintained that their product was safe, adhering to all health and safety standards, and that Egodi’s claims were not based on factual evidence.

The company further reached out to Chioma Egodi to bring the used Tin of the Nagiko Tomato Mix she tasted that was full of sugar or send the product batch number and production date so that the company can be sure it was their product she was talking about and not a fake one. Chioma declined all entreaties. Erisco then decided to use the legal route to clear its name.

Legal and Police Involvement Given the gravity of the claim that a food product was endangering lives, Erisco Foods Management petitioned the Police on a complaint of Criminal Conspiracy, de-marketing and blackmail of killing people by an organized body. That’s how the Nigerian police became involved. The police invited Chioma Egodi for investigation on the strength of Erisco’s letter. Chioma Egodi’s Apology.

During the Police investigation, Chioma Egodi offered and penned a remorseful apology with a promise of retraction as well as posting the apology on her page.

“I sincerely wish to apologize to Erisco Foods Limited for the post I made on Facebook about their product Nagiko Tomatoes mix. I am truly sorry for the product. I am fully sorry sir. I regret my actions and wish to be forgiven. I pledge that this type of bad behavior will never happen again. I undertake to retract all my earlier post on this matter immediately. This is without any compulsion. I will do everything within my power to rectify the mistake and wrong concerning the matter. All the things I told wrongly about the damage done to the company, its customers and the general public. Once again, I am very sorry for the offense.”

Chioma Failed To RetractOn the grant of bail, Chioma failed to retract her false allegation and started a campaign of calumny against Erisco Foods, saying she was forced to write the apology. The implication of this is that she still stands by her statement that Erisco Nagiko Mix is killing people.

Evasion After Bail Recall that based on the understanding that Chioma will use the same medium she used to allege that Erisco Nagiko Tomato Mix was killing people, to use same medium to retract her statement, Chioma was released on bail with a condition she will be available to complete peaceful settlement process. Instead of following through with her obligations agreed on, she reneged on the conditions of her release and continually jumped bail given to her by the Police.

Severing ties with the lawyer who had initially represented her in Abuja, and a relation that signed her bail bond. Chioma turned to Inibehe Effiong, leaving a trail of unanswered questions and legal challenges in her wake.

She equally made herself incommunicado making it impossible for the police to serve her with the court processes and refused to appear in court severally, which prompted the Judge to mandate Inibehe Effiong to produce her in Court at the next adjourned date.

Affirmation of Product SafetyThe Nigerian regulatory agencies gave its update on the status of Erisco Nagiko Tomato Mix for consumption.

1. NAFDAC.NAFDAC with its mandate to safeguard public health released a statement: “Update on the Registration Status of Nagiko Tomato Mix. The product in question – Nagiko Tomato Mix by Erisco Foods Limited with NAFDAC Registration Number A8-7430 is a registered product. The formulation of tomato paste and ketchup products with sugar is safe for consumption.”

2. The Lagos State Government’s Consumer Protection Agency, LASCOPA, weighed in with its findings: in its public statement, “LASCOPA SAYS NAGIKO TOMATO FIT FOR CONSUMPTIONContrary to claims made by one Mrs. Chioma Egodi on Facebook about the state of a tin tomato product named NAGIKO Tomato Mix 400g, the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency, LASCOPA has declared that the product is safe for consumption and does not pose any health hazard to the consuming public.

A statement signed by the General Manager of LASCOPA, Afolabi Solebo said the certification by LASCOPA about the product follows the outcome of the laboratory tests which the product was subjected to upon the complaint from the consumer.

According to him, to authenticate her claim, LASCOPA had embarked on an independent investigation by inviting Erisco Foods Limited, the producer of the product and Egodi to two different meetings held on the 3rd and 10th of October, 2023.

In his words, “The outcome of the meetings informed the decision of LASCOPA to request for samples of the product which were subsequently taken to the laboratory for test and analysis as well as to ascertain the conformity of the sets of parameters of the product samples to establish if the product is safe for consumption or otherwise”.

“It must be noted that two samples of the product were taken from Erisco Foods Company and another two sets of samples were obtained from a market survey by LASCOPA to balance and ensure a true reflection of the state of the product from both the company and the market.

“The laboratory analysis of the two sets of samples collected for Microbial and Physicochemical tests showed that the product passed all the tested parameters and it is safe for consumption based on the outcome of the test conducted”, he added.

Interestingly, the product has been in the market since 2010, duly certified by Standards Organisation of Nigeria and NAFDAC and no issue of complaint has arisen since inception.Wrong Perception in the Court of Public Opinion The case of Chioma Egodi versus Erisco Foods Limited reverberated through the court of public opinion, a forum often swayed by sentiment and emotions rather than facts.

The discourse surrounding the incident highlighted the need for a balance between freedom of speech and the accountability that must accompany public declarations, especially when they concern the health and well-being of consumers.

Now, we’re left with deep questions that touch our hearts and make us think about what’s really going on. Why is Chioma working so hard to ruin a company’s good reputation, a company that has been feeding countless families for years?What makes a person ignore the damage they could do to the people who rely on that company for their jobs?

It could be deduced from the foregoing that the goal was never to review the product, but instead about causing so much trouble that the company might close down?These questions make us think about the kind of community we want.

Do we want to live in a place where people can make big accusations without proof, putting hard work and jobs at risk? Or do we want a community where we solve problems by talking, looking at the facts, and finding the truth?

This story about Erisco Foods and Chioma isn’t just about a fight between a company and one person. It shows us what we value, what we stand for, and the future we want to create.

Let’s not get carried away by false claims and narratives. Instead, let’s look for the truth with open hearts and minds. It’s not just about Erisco; it’s about our honesty and how we care for our community.

Credit: Ebuka Amos, Social Commentator.