Reno Omokri, former aide to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, has berated in strong terms all those calling for the boycott of all products from Erisco Foods.
In a series of statements published on his official X page on Wednesday, Omokri noted that the boycott of products from Erisco Foods does more harm than good to Nigeria, the Naira, and Nigerians.
Omokri, who is a strong advocate of buying made-in-Nigeria products in order to grow the value of the Naira, noted that “Erisco Foods makes made-in-Nigeria products. Therefore, anybody who wants to undermine that company is automatically an enemy of Nigeria.’
Omokris statement comes on the heels of calls by social media influencers for the boycott of all Erisco foods products over the continuous persecution of Mrs. Chioma Okoli.
Mrs. Okoli, a pregnant woman, is being prosecuted for making negative reviews about Erisco tomato paste.
Reacting to the calls to boycott the company’s products, Omokri states, “Erisco Foods makes made-in-Nigeria products. Therefore, anybody who wants to undermine that company is automatically an enemy of Nigeria.
“People like Eric Umeofia, the CEO of Erisco Foods, should be the apple of the eye of the Nigerian government. We should treat them like eggs. By producing locally, they create jobs, grow our GDP, and boost the value of the naira.” If anybody is guilty of undermining his reputation and that of his products with lies, that person should go straight to jail, pregnant or not!
“In 2000, I visited Major Hamza Al-Mustapha and Mohammed Abacha at Kirikiri prison. They have a nursing mother’s section there.
“Legally imprisoned pregnant women can deliver and nurse their babies in Kirikiri or Kuje! We are just too sentimental as a nation.”
Extolling the chairman of Erisco Foods, Omokri notes that “Eric Umeofia and people like him are our captains of industry. They are the military industrial complex that will take Nigeria from the Third World to the First.
“There should be no sentiments here. If Erisco goes down, jobs go down with him. Families go down with him. And our GDP and Naira will feel the impact.
“May God bless every manufacturer of made-in-Nigeria goods and services. I started #GrowNairaBuyNaija to help you!”
Omokri further called on all and sundry to jettison the call for the boycott of the company’s products.
“If you believe in me and #GrowNairaBuyNaija, then go out tomorrow and buy any product manufactured by Erisco Foods. Let us show this made-in-Nigeria manufacturer that we are not all sentimental people. If Nigeria will survive, it will be because of companies like Erisco,” Omokri said.
Speaking on the economic contribution of the company to the Nigerian economy, the social media influencer said, “Erisco Foods has an estimated 4000 workers who are paid a living wage. They manufacture goods in Nigeria. They are not importers. They are an asset to Nigeria’s GDP and are one of the private sector catalysts of a strong Naira, which is what #GrowNairaBuyNaija is about. Any Nigerian fighting them is only trying to cut off their own right hand.
“This matter is before the police and the court. Social media is not a court and should not be used to preempt a legal or law enforcement matter.
“If anyone has used lies to unduly damage a company’s reputation for whatever reason, they should face the consequences of their actions without trying to blackmail the legal system.”
