Bags of rice being distributed by the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) gubernatorial candidate in Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has expired since 2006, an official of the Thailand Agency for Food Quality and Control, (TAFQC) wrote in a letter sent to the Federal Government by the Thai authority.
The letter dated June 10th, 2014 which was said to have been obtained from the Thai Embassy in Abuja indicated that the Government of Thailand has sent a strong protest to the Federal Government on the importation of several “fake, dangerous and harmful” bags of expired rice being imported to Nigeria for human consumption.
READ: Fayose Shares 30,000 Bags of Rice to Students, Market Women
The head of the Public Affairs Section of the Thailand Embassy, Mr. Chun Kun Yrung, stated in the letter that the rice imported by Fayose had expired and that they were bought from unscrupulous business men after the Thailand Agency for Food and Drugs had ordered they should be destroyed.
In a related development, an official of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Youth Caucus, Mr. Williams Akintunde, said the youth group had circulated pamphlets warning Ekiti people to be weary of collecting Fayose’s bags of rice. According to the PDP youth caucus, Fayose had placed the trucks conveying the rice in a graveyard for seven days where many spiritualists were invited to perform all sorts of rituals on the bags of rice.
“The bags of rice are not good for the spiritual wellbeing of Ekiti people. The rice is harmful. Fayose brought these bags of rice to destroy the lives of young people in Ekiti state. They must be careful so that they do not become zombies after eating Fayose’s rice.”
Akintunde alleged that some herbalists had told Fayose to use the rice as a kind of sacrifice, the repercussion being that many that eat from this rice will die young.
“Fayose is using the rice as a spiritual weapon. We know about this. He told us. He did this to win the election on June 21. We were briefed but at the end, we didn’t agree with him on this method. This is the reason we are fighting within the PDP to stop Fayose,” he said.
The Thailand government said it was greatly disturbed that Nigerian politicians are buying off expired food stuff from Asia without consideration for the impact on the health of consumers.
Mr. Yrung said a letter has been forwarded to the headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) to lodge complaints against the massive importation of foodstuff that could harm Nigerians.
“A Nigerian man bought the expired rice from Dai Sun central store in Chiangmai, North of Thailand. The 30 tons of rice were meant to be destroyed by the Thailand Ministry of Commerce and Trade. Unfortunately, a Nigerian business man, Chief Udeh Ikem, who is the Chairman of Udeh and Sons Holdings bought the consignment illegally in collaboration with some corrupt Thai officials. As at now, the business man has been arrested in Bangkok and he will be prosecuted by the Thailand police authorities”, the Thailand Embassy stated
