Those who say “any publicity is good publicity” might not be so right after all. In fact, I think they are wrong. At least they might have been right in the past, but not anymore, not in this era of empathy and “life on stage” where everyone now has a platform to air their views, where most like to be liked and followed and where many, regardless of depth, can actually influence the views and choices of others. There is a brand and a company that I think will agree with me that not any publicity is good publicity because of what they are going through.
The company is Erisco Food Limited, makers of tomato paste and other food products, led by Chief Eric Umeofia.
It is easy to see the link between the name Eric and Erisco. One can wish for anything good or bad, but I doubt that anyone from the founder of Erisco Food and all his well-wishers as well as his enemies could have imagined let alone wished for or against making the list of Amnesty International’s concern. Yet, that is what recently happened. How did Eric and Erisco go from tomato paste to social media trouble and amnesty list lies in the link between Eric and Erisco. Let us be clear: Chioma infuriated Eric, but it was Eric that made Chioma famous and took Erisco to amnesty.
Here are some context and chronicles of salient events for all.
In the middle of the month of September 2023, a relatively unknown social media user with the name Chioma Egoji, published a comment on her Facebook page, saying: “I went to 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. When I opened it, I decided to taste it. Omo! Sugar was just too much. Ha, biko, let me know if you have used this tin tomato before because this is an Ike gwuru situation.”
It is worth noting here that Mrs. Chioma Egoji was till that moment just one lady trying to make stew and whose purpose of commenting was to get other social media users and comments. The more the merrier. It is a new but common practice. There was a time when people kept their reflections and experience private. That era is gone. In the new world, private is dead. People wear their hearts on their sleeves.
The reaction of Erisco Food to this comment was to call the police and get Chioma Egoji arrested. The police promptly swung into action and not only arrested this woman who dared make negative comments about the tomatoes she bought with her own money, the Nigerian Police Force also issued a high-profile public statement on the matter, making the NPF look like the Nigerian Paste Force.
To the Erisco Food team, the comments made by Chioma Egoji was an attempt to damage their brand and company and they felt the need to fight back. The apex of the fight was the direct intervention of Chief Eric Umeofia himself, who went on national TV to say he is willing to let his business die rather than give an inch to Chioma Egoji.
Against their intentions, the first consequence of the reaction of Erisco Food was to make Chioma Egoji popular. People are even calling her a reviewer. I wonder if she appreciates that. The popularity of Chioma Egoji and the stances of the Eric in Erisco have made people of different geopolitical colourations to stand with Chioma Egoji and to start a campaign to boycott Erisco food products. We have not seen their sale reports yet but from the number of people talking negatively about their company and brand, things cannot be good.
No need to pretend, readers of this page will know that I have a high propensity towards defending private businesses and entrepreneurs. Our bias for the corporate component of our society is very simple to understand: we believe businesses and the entrepreneurs bring to the table creation of job and wealth based on competence, innovation, creativity, knowledge of and deference to consumers. Faced with the kind of situation Erisco is going through due to this Chioma business, one is inclined to say let us find a way to save the business from boycott and save Chioma’s dignity and safety.
We must however be clear, the first party to err was Erisco Food. Their first sin was to ignore the golden rule that says “customer is king” in business. Customers are referred to as king not because they are always right, but because they should never be fought. Erisco Food had many professional choices. They could have ignored Chioma, engaged her in a positive way, proved her wrong, or get people to endorse the quality of their products.
Instead, they chose the risky path of an ego driven position that feels threatened and insulted. Erisco Food chose to make heard not the deliberated voice of a business that has responsibilities of employing hundreds of staff and catering to thousands of customers but the voice of a proud stubborn man who feels that because he has worked hard and has achieved a lot he should therefore not be questioned. Things don’t work that way as he is learning and as others should be cautioned.
With the position of Eric in Erisco, we are on a risky path where all is personal and nerves are frayed. All these with a national audience recording and applauding every statement and move. It will take more than a lot to get common sense back and for reconciliation to prevail. This is a test for Chief Eric Umeofia to see if he has friends who have the resolve to say “Erisco must be saved even against Eric” and that can tell him the truth and stand by him as he retraces his steps from risky to safety.
Join me if you can on X: @anthonykila, to continue these conversations.
. Kila is the Institute Director at CIAPS and can be reached via: www.ciaps.org.