Facebook user, Chioma Egodi Jnr, has again come out to tender her apology to ERISCO Foods for her distorted claim against the leading indigenous food processing company.
“I apologies for any discomfort or inconveniences my actions may have caused by its release on the social media loop,” Egodi stated.
But her apology has elicited mixed reactions: while some condemned her for misleading Nigerians, others believe she may have been paid to bosh the image of the leading indigenous food processing company.
It will be recalled, on September 17, Egodi had alleged on her Facebook page, highlighting the high sugar content in the tomato paste and inviting her followers who might have used the same product to share their opinions.
In her apology letter, Chioma Egodi said she realized that she made a weighty mistake by lying about the product. She said she was deeply sorry for the harm she caused to the company, its customers and the public. She also said she would retract all her earlier posts on the matter immediately and do anything within her power to rectify all the things she did wrong.
In her words;
“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 Sir. I am sorry for the lies concerning the product. I am truly 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 posts on this matter immediately, this is without compulsion.
“I will do anything within my power to rectify all the things I did wrong concerning this matter.
“Once again I’m very sorry for the damage done to the company, its customers and the general public.
“Thank you Sir.’
It is important to know, that the apology letter was duly signed by Chioma Egodi as the one who perpetrated the false claim and also signed by the husband as witness.
Media had earlier reported that the CEO of Erisco Foods Limited, Mr. Eric Umeofia vowed to sue Mrs Egodi for N5billion over the false review. He said the company suspected that Chioma Egodi was not a genuine customer and could not provide any proof to support her claim.
However, Mr. Eric Umeofia, has said that he has accepted Mrs Egodi’s apology and that he may withdraw the lawsuit against her provided if she will go ahead to post the hand written apology letter to the company on her Facebook page as agreed but if she failed to post it, the company would have no choice than to proceed with the N5billion lawsuit.
Defending the quality of Nagiko Tomato Mix, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has released a statement saying, “the presence of sugar in Erisco’s Nagiko tomato mix is safe for consumption and is duly approved by the agency.
NAFDAC said, the product in question – Nagiko Tomato Mix by Erisco Foods Limited with NAFDAC Registration Number A8-7430 is duly registered.
“Sugar is added to these products for a number of reasons, including but not limited to masking bitterness, enhancing colour and flavor, improving texture and taste consistency, and as a preservative.
The safety limits of sugar in food products are determined by NAFDAC, and only sugar-containing products within these safety limits are approved by NAFDAC,” the statement read.