The Nation Newspaper

Category: Consumer Watch

  • Sprite thrills with basketball, music and dance

    Recently, the University of Calabar, Multipurpose Hall played host to a show of basketball skills, cool rap lyrics and talented dance moves at the much anticipated 2015 edition of the Sprite Triple Slam(STS) activations.

    The event reaffirmed the commitment of Sprite, the leading lemon-lime flavoured sparkling soft drink, to promote basketball and hip-hop in Nigeria.

    The audience that filled the Multipurpose Hall of the University of Calabar for the Sprite Triple Slam enjoyed a display of sublime basketball skills, rap, and freestyle dance performances from students.

    Speaking at the event, Senior Brand Manager, Flavours, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Toyin Nnodi, reaffirmed that Sprite is committed to ensuring that consumers express themselves and bring to life their true key passions. According to Nnodi, Sprite Triple Slam offers Nigerian teens and youths the platform to express themselves in any of their key three passion points of basketball, music and dance.

    She said, “Sprite respects youths and recognises that Nigerians have great talent and adopt the hip-hop culture early in life. Hip-hop has been a key component of the brand’s essence for many decades. Through the Sprite Triple Slam activation, Sprite remains committed to supporting basketball, music and dance. We are focused on sparking up the creativity in young people, which is a key attribute of the Sprite brand.”  Oritsefemi David, a 200-level undergraduate in Theatre and Media Studies, who displayed amazing dance skills by spinning on his head for 45secs, revealed that, for him, determination was what kept him going. He showered praises on the Sprite brand for bringing the activation to UNICAL. He said, “Sprite should come to our campus more often. I like the fact that Sprite always gives one the opportunity of expressing yourself.”

    One of the irrepressible talents who emerged as a regional winner in the Sprite Triple Slam 2011 edition, Jane Krest Amadi, recounted how she made it tops in rap saying, “I worked hard for it, although it wasn’t an easy contest.” Speaking about her music passion, she said she is currently signed to Solid Star Record Label, and will be dropping her first music video this month. Amadi commended Sprite for bringing back the platform which she stated would help discover further talents, and inspire youths to become better in the game of basketball.

    The major act of the event, Patoranking, gave a dazzling performance to the delight of the crowd. During his performance, he moved his pair of Versace boots and gave them to a member of the crowd. According to him, “I believe it is good to be a giver, most especially to a student.” He added that, “I never got the kind of education I wanted, so whenever I’m invited to participate in a university activity or perform at an event with students in attendance, I always give it my very best.”

     Sprite has essentially continued to promote and support the Nigerian hip-hop culture, taking it to higher levels. Promoting the three key elements of youth culture – basketball, music and dance, Sprite is playing a major role in unveiling hip-hop talents across the country through Sprite Triple Slam activation. STS offers an exciting and dynamic opportunity for youths to showcase their talents, have fun and enjoy a unique hip-hop experience. The event usually ends with the performance of a notable Nigerian artist bringing the excitement to a grand climax.

  • Rice adulteration on the increase

    Rice adulteration on the increase

    What brand of rice is in the bag of rice you have just bought? Is it Royal Umbrella, Stallion, Marvel, Caprice, El Faradj, Mama Gold,etcetera? It is only the wholesaler and retailer that can honestly answer that question.

    Adulteration has permeated the rice industry just like in every other sector. Mrs. Felicia Okonkwo, a caterer with the Nigerian Prison Authorities, had just ordered some bags of Royal Umbrella rice at the normal price of N11,000. Royal Umbrella, because it is about the best rice in the market.

    In terms of quality, flavour, texture, you cannot fault it. The long grain Thai rice also stands out singularly (like most Thai rice) after cooking, so despite the fact that the price is higher than most other brands in the market, consumers still prefer to buy it.

    According to Mrs. Okonkwo, on opening the 50kg bag, and seeing the rice, she realised it was not the rice she has been buying. Unlike the Royal Umbrella, this particular rice grain was not slim and long and also did not have the shinny finish of Royal Umbrella. On opening the second bag of rice she bought, she noticed also that it was not the brand she had asked for. The content of this second bag was even different from the contents of the first bag she opened and both bags were supposed to be the same brand. The rice grain in the second bag was slim, long but very whitish instead of golden. She checked the rice bags again and confirmed the two bags bore the name of Royal Umbrella with all the attached printed materials.

    Her mistake? She had not gone to her regular customer at Iddo, Lagos. However, she remembered she had the seller’s phone number and she put a call through to him, registering her dissatisfaction and disappointment. Alhaji, as she called him, insisted that he bought the bags of rice like that and at no time repackaged them.

    Refusing to confirm if the content of the bag was the actual brand of rice printed on the rice bag, he said he did not open the bags before making the purchase and as such could not testify to that.

    Surprised, but not really overwhelmed as I know that most traders are quite unscrupulous and can descend very low to make abnormal profits, I took a trip to the popular rice market in Daleko, Mushin, Lagos.

    Pretending to be a buyer, I requested for two popular brands, Caprice and Royal Umbrella, from Alhaji Yero of Shop No. 18. Mercifully, he told me that one of the popular brands I requested for, being imported from Thailand by Mama Gold, had not been in the Nigerian market since this year.

    Thankfully, I left his shop. But as I walked through the market, I observed different printed rice bags displayed for sale to those traders wishing to falsely repackage unpopular rice under popular brand names. I went into another shop and requested for Royal Umbrella rice and, this time, the shop owner said it was available. This is the same rice (from investigations) I had been told was not available in the market.

    He was excited and requested to know how many bags I wanted, I told him I needed 100 bags. The trader whom I would not want to mention his name now said I should make part payment and that I should give him an hour to bring the rice from his second store in the market or alternatively make payment and give him three hours to deliver the rice to any location of my choice within Lagos.

    Promising to come back, I walked to line 2, Shop 34. The shop owner, Madame Funmi Olobanjo, popularly called Oyo Oyo Rice, was more forthcoming, believing I was a rice retailer.

    She said the popular brands I wanted was scarce but that she could bag rice that looked similar to the ones I wanted under the brand name I wanted.

    I requested to know the rice she could bag as Royal Umbrella rice for instance, she disclosed that traders usually bag El Faradj, another Thai rice, and Mama Gold usually sold for N8,000 per 50kg in place of Royal Umbrella rice, and sell it for N11000 as Royal Umbrella making extra N3,000 per bag.

    Explaining further, she said that when the two types of rice are mixed together one can hardly find out. Demanding whether that was the only brand they could adulterate, she stated that there was no brand of rice that cannot be adulterated.

    However, the ones that are usually adulterated are the brands in high demand, especially when they are no longer in the market and buyers keep demanding for them.

    Special rice is also another brand that is also being presently adulterated. “Anyone that tells you she/he has Special rice is telling a lie. Traders mix long grain ‘Arosor’ and short grain Agric and bag as Special rice and sell it for N10,000, the same price of the Special rice brand.

    At Agege Market, Shop No 18, Shiaba Street, Alhaji Musa Abubakar, though confirming the adulteration of rice, said that not all the traders were involved in the nefarious activities.

    The way to avoid falling into the hands of these dupes, he advised, is to maintain a customer. “Find an honest customer and stick to him,” he said.

    At Iddo, another popular rice market where the adulteration seemed to be rife, Mr. Anene Ikeanyionwu, a rice dealer, while condemning the actions of some of his fellow traders, also blamed consumers for sometimes insisting on a particular brand.

    “The difference in some of these brands, especially the rice from Thailand is not much. They are all good rice just that they have been branded in different names. There is no much difference between El Faradj, Super rice, Royal Umbrella and the other brands. The only thing is that those brands have been marketed better,” lamented Ikeanyionwu.

    Explaining further, he said where the difference is noticeable is between rice imported from India and the one imported from Thailand. Indian rice is of smaller seed and sells for about N8,300 while Thai rice is of bigger and longer grain which consumers prefer and which goes for between N8,600 – N11,000.

    “But a consumer has the right to know what he or she is buying,” I insisted. Agreeing with me, Ikeanyionwu regretted the development, while advising consumers to stick to a well-known, trusted seller and stop insisting on a particular brand of rice.

    But is the deception and adulteration going to continue? What are the parent umbrellas in the market doing to checkmate this ugly situation?

    Investigations by Consumer Watch has revealed that at all the popular rice markets in Lagos like Iddo, Daleko, Ketu, Mile 12, Alaba, Sango Otta, the story is the same. Printed rice bags of different brands are openly on display for traders to buy and repackage and rebrand. Sometimes the commodity will already be repackaged in bags of other brands and brought to the market, thereby deceiving the unsuspecting public.

    Grain sack-sewing machines are equally on display. Almost all the wholesalers are involved in this act and they engage in it right inside their stores, though discreetly.

    Investigations revealed that the union can’t stop the adulteration because the members are the wholesalers who are deeply involved in the adulteration.