The Nation Newspaper

Tag: food vendors

  • Food vendors declare support for Buhari/Osinbajo

    No fewer than three thousand food vendors in Oyo state under the Federal Government Home Grown School Feeding Programme embarked on a peaceful work around Ibadan, the Oyo state capital city to declare their support for the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    The said the peaceful walk became imperative to show solidarity for the president on the heels of the postponement of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The food vendors who prepares meal for the school children from across the 33 local governments areas of the state said the school feeding initiative has not only helped them for means of livelihood as parents, it has also helped improve school attendance by school-age children in the state.

    The vendors, mostly women also commended the All Progressive Congress (APC) led initiative as time-saving for farmers across the various sectors as the feeding programme has been helping to mop up farm produce that used to be in excess and discouragement to farmers.

    Speaking at Oke-Ado were the vendors converge before hitting the street, the Oyo state coordinator, Mrs Ajobo Toyosi said they decided to endorse and declare support for Muhammadu Buhari because of the impact the Home Grown School Feeding Programme is having on their lives as well as on the children in promoting good education.

    She also thanked the Oyo state governor, Abiola Ajimobi for agreeing to let the state be used as a pilot for the scheme.

    Ajobo said, “We want to thank President Muhammadu Buhari that we are so grateful and we wish him good health. We the food vendors in Oyo state are so grateful for his kind gestures.

    “As parents, we got the job to take care of our families and it is also good for our children from Primary 1 to 3, the school children numbers are increasing and they all happy staying in school as they eat free food.

    “With all these, we are sure that President Muhammadu Buhari wants to increase and progress for all Nigerians. With this food, children come to school early and even stay in school and we are grateful, as parents and as the ones preparing the food for them.

    “We the food vendors in Oyo state decided to use this rally to declare our support for PMB for his second term bid because we believed in him.

    “We have over 3,000 vendors who are participating in the rally so that the whole world will know that we are solidly behind this government and President Buhari who has helped us to stabilize our lives.

    “Agriculture is improving. Before now, when farmers in the farm make their product the excess that they don’t sell ends up as waste which often discourages them from farming. But when the FG started the initiative, farming has gone to another level and all farm produce are now in abundance and selling fast.

    “We patronize the farmers and poultry producers who are always happy for creating the market to help mop up their farm produce. We are grateful to PMB for the efforts. We also want to thank Governor Abiola Ajimobi for allowing the state to be part of the first batch to accept the programme. We are really grateful because we are better for it.

    Also, the state financial secretary of the group, Mrs. Bola Ajagbe, expressed happiness that despite not been a politician or card-carrying member of any party, she was shortlisted to be a beneficiary of the scheme.

    She noted that the transparent and non-partisan nature of the selection of the vendors makes the initiative a truly national project in the interest of developing the people and the country as a whole.

  • Teachers want food vendors monitored

    The head teacher of Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School in Angwandodo community in Gwagwalada area council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Ahmed Shangalo had said that government should set-up machinery to monitor and make adequate supervision of food vendor in schools and public palace to enhance healthy living.

    Shangalo who made the call at the 2015 World Consumer Rights Day at Angwandodo community, said Consumer Protection Fan Club (CPFC) in the LEA primary school is a unique club that was established in to help the pupils to know their rights and responsibilities as young consumers and invaluable parastatal of the government.

    He stressed the need for people to remain healthy and strong, as there is need for people to distinguish between healthy and harmful items.

    On her part, the teacher in charge of Consumer Protection Fan Club (CPFC), LEA primary school in Angwandodo, Mrs. Ogu-Chinma Chinyere, said consumer protection fan club was created out of passion for young consumers, whom they feel should be able to know their rights and responsibilities, so as to protect them from being unduly taken advantage of some manufacturers and producers.

    Chinyere said such knowledge will help them to be able to identify and avoid substandard products and services, that humble assertion has been proven right by the recognition of the club by consumer protection council.

    According to her, it has made members of the club to share information about things they have learnt amongst people in their immediate environment, saying that their young consumers have also been taught about their rights and responsibilities as consumers, how to check their BB (Best Before), PD (Production Date) and BN (Batch Number) and how to shop and make complaints about defective and expired production.

     

  • NAFDAC holds workshop for food vendors

    NAFDAC holds workshop for food vendors

    The Director-General of National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Dr. Paul Orhii has enlightened food vendors in Enugu on the importance of food safety.

    Dr Orhii spoke at a two-day workshop on National Food Safety workshop organised for all categories of food vendors ranging from primary producers, small and medium-scale food processors, state and local government and public inspectors, agricultural extension officers, state agricultural development programmes (ADP) officers, regulators, household food handlers and catering services providers, among  others in Enugu.

    He stated that the agency has developed guidelines for food hygienic practices (NGFHP) which addresses the whole spectrum of national food chain, adding that the scientific concept of rational and systematic approach of identification, assessment and control of hazards during production, processing, manufacturing, preparation and use of food must be applied.

    He maintained that the aim of the workshop was primarily to ensure that food safety is integrated into the design of the process rather than the end product testing participants would be exposed to safe practice in primary food production and storage, traceability of food labelling and other guides on exportation of food products, consumers and household safe handling of food, extant regulatory control for safe food, financial transactions with NAFDAC, among others.

    Represented by Dr. Samson Adebayo Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, he said after the workshop, participants would apply NAFDAC’s guidelines for food hygienic practices throughout the food chain from the primary producer to final consumer.

    He urged the participants to apply the knowledge they gained at the workshop in their everyday routine.

    Present at the workshop were non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations, public-based organisations, airlines caterers, warehouse operators, fast food operators, street vendors and food operators among others.

  • NAFDAC holds workshop for food vendors

    NAFDAC holds workshop for food vendors

    The Director-General of National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Dr. Paul Orhii has enlightened food vendors in Enugu on the importance of food safety.

    Dr Orhii spoke at a two-day workshop on National Food Safety workshop organised for all categories of food vendors ranging from primary producers, small and medium-scale food processors, state and local government and public inspectors, agricultural extension officers, state agricultural development programmes (ADP) officers, regulators, household food handlers and catering services providers, among  others in Enugu.

    He stated that the agency has developed guidelines for food hygienic practices (NGFHP) which addresses the whole spectrum of national food chain, adding that the scientific concept of rational and systematic approach of identification, assessment and control of hazards during production, processing, manufacturing, preparation and use of food must be applied.

    He maintained that the aim of the workshop was primarily to ensure that food safety is integrated into the design of the process rather than the end product testing participants would be exposed to safe practice in primary food production and storage, traceability of food labelling and other guides on exportation of food products, consumers and household safe handling of food, extant regulatory control for safe food, financial transactions with NAFDAC, among others.