Author name: Umar Idris Shuaibu

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has raised alarm over the growing trend of harmful practices in food production, including forced fruit ripening, adulterated palm oil, and contaminated meat and grains, warning that such acts pose grave risks to public health and consumer safety. The warning was issued during a one-day sensitisation programme organised by the Commission in Kano, aimed at educating stakeholders on safe food handling, proper labelling, regulatory compliance, and ethical business conduct. Speaking at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman of the FCCPC, Mr. Olatunji Bello, who was represented by the Director of Quality Assurance and Development, Dr. Nkechi Mba, said the Commission remains committed to protecting consumers, promoting fair competition, and ensuring accountability in the food and agricultural sectors. Read Also: Dala Inland Dry Port Refutes Allegations Linking Ganduje’s Family to Ownership Dr. Mba cautioned against the chemical ripening of fruits with calcium carbide, food adulteration using toxic additives, and unhygienic handling that exposes food items to contamination. “Unsafe food not only endangers lives but undermines trust in markets, disrupts trade, and damages the reputation of businesses, both large and small,” she stated. She urged food producers, vendors, and distributors to maintain hygiene standards, properly label and package their products, and always uphold consumer rights and safety. Also speaking, the Director of Consumer and Business Education at the FCCPC, Mr. Yahaya Garba Kudan, stressed that food safety is a fundamental consumer right and an essential component of national development. “It is our responsibility to ensure that consumers have access to safe, high-quality food,” he said. “This programme provides an opportunity for participants to learn how to identify and prevent unsafe practices, lodge complaints, and seek redress where necessary.” Kudan highlighted that the FCCPC collaborates closely with regulatory bodies such as NAFDAC, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and the Federal Ministries of Health and Agriculture to enforce compliance with national food safety standards. He explained that through market surveillance, enforcement actions, and public sensitisation, the Commission has intervened in several cases of hazardous food practices across Nigeria. The event was attended by key officials, including Hassan Abdulhamid Hassan, Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics at the FCCPC, alongside representatives of consumer groups, food vendors, business operators, civil society organisations, and regulatory agencies. In her closing remarks, Dr. Mba reminded participants of the collective responsibility to ensure public safety through responsible food production and handling. “A nation that poisons its people cannot prosper,” she warned. “We are all consumers, and an injury to one is an injury to all. Together, we must eradicate harmful food practices and promote accountability, safety, and respect for human life.”

The management of the Dala Inland Dry Port (DIDP) has firmly dismissed reports alleging that the family of former Kano State Governor and immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, holds shares or any ownership interest in the company. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Company Secretary, Barrister Adamu Aliyu Sanda, described the allegations as “false, misleading, and politically motivated,” stating that neither Ganduje’s family nor the Kano State Government has ever been part of the port’s ownership or board structure. According to Sanda, verified records from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and official board resolutions confirmed that no member of the Ganduje family has ever been listed as a shareholder, director, or signatory in the company. Related: Even Out of Office, Ganduje Remains the Soul of APC — Party Loyalist “The claim that members of the Ganduje family are shareholders or directors in Dala Inland Dry Port is entirely false. There is no record — past or present — linking them to the company’s structure,” Sanda stated. He explained that the port project was initially owned by businessman Ahmad Rabi’u before City Green Enterprises (CGE) acquired an 80 percent stake, leaving Rabi’u with 20 percent equity. The transaction, he noted, was duly registered with the CAC and carried out in accordance with regulatory procedures, with no involvement from the Ganduje family or the Kano State Government. Read Also: Kano’s Political Probe: Ganduje’s Legacy Versus NNPP’s Scandals Responding to reports that Ganduje’s children were allocated five million shares each through an “ordinary resolution,” Sanda dismissed the document as a forgery engineered to create political controversy. “The so-called resolution is fake and was fabricated by an aggrieved party seeking to politicize a private commercial matter involving poor management and financial misdeeds,” he added. The company also clarified that the Kano State Government has never owned a 20 percent stake in the port, explaining that the only collaboration between the two entities was through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) assistance facilitated by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC). “The provision of infrastructure at the Zawaciki site was purely developmental support to revive the port project and stimulate economic growth in Kano. CSR assistance does not translate to ownership,” the company emphasized. The DIDP further refuted claims that a state representative, identified as Abdullahi Haruna, served on its board. “No such individual exists or has ever represented the Kano State Government in any capacity within the company,” the statement clarified. Reiterating its stance, the company stated that neither the Ganduje family nor the Kano State Government was ever a shareholder or director, stressing that all filings from inception to date with the CAC confirm this. “You cannot remove an entity that never existed as a shareholder or director in the first place,” the company asserted, adding that the allegations were part of a coordinated smear campaign aimed at damaging Dr. Ganduje’s reputation and undermining confidence in the port project. The Dala Inland Dry Port remains one of the key logistics and trade infrastructure projects in northern Nigeria, designed to decongest the Lagos seaports and boost economic activities in Kano and neighbouring states.