Bauchi Residents Stop Eating Kuli kuli – [See Why]

Residents of Bauchi State and some other parts of Northern Nigeria have reportedly stopped the consumption of Kuli kuli.

Explainer: Kuli Kuli is a popular delicacy in Nigeria, mostly made and eaten in the Northern part of the country. The enticing and crunchy delicacy is made from peanuts, otherwise known as groundnuts.

Some species are sometimes added to Kuli-kuli to make it appealing and taste better, Naija News understands.

Karago, as it is commonly called in Bauchi and some other places in the North, is usually traded by women and female children, most of whom occupy unrented spaces in markets and crowded areas to sell to consumers to make a living.

However, the delicacy, which has been around for generations and is now widely eaten by all categories of people, has called for concerns in the North.

Recent findings revealed that the consumption of the food has given rise to health concerns due to its poor handling and unhygienic packaging by those who prepare it.

Vanguard quoted a survey by ‘Arewa Voice’ to have identified some concerns over kuli-kuli trading and consumption in the Northern part of the country.

The survey reportedly carried out around major markets in Bauchi showed that the commodity is mostly produced and marketed in unhealthy conditions, thereby putting off some discerning consumers who fear for their health.

In Yelwa Market, for instance, the commodity is reportedly sold around a gigantic culvert competing with a huge refuse heap dumped by flood and which emits an offensive odour.

Also, many other producers and sellers of Kuli-kuli in the part of the country use any available space on the roadside, not minding the environmental hazards associated with the open display of the commodity on the open space.

Due to the development, some residents who spoke with journalists said they would stop eating Kuli-kuli for now until the condition under which it is prepared and sold is significantly improved.

The source quoted an electrical engineer, Patience Sunday, saying that she had been enjoying Karago (Kuli-kuli) since her days as a student.

According to her, she had in recent times been complaining bitterly to the vendors about their unhealthy environment and poor handling of the foodstuff and advised them on how best to handle it, but that her counsel had not been heeded.

“I am one person who likes Karago or Kulikuli as you may like to call it. In fact, my love for Kulikuli didn’t start today; it goes way back to my days as a student. I started patronising vendors near the Yelwa Market, but I had to stop buying and consuming it because of the environment and the way they handle it when selling to buyers.

“I had a very unpleasant experience once; one fateful afternoon, I came back early from work and needed to feed my stomach. So, I opted for Garri and Karago since I could prepare it very fast.

“Because I already had Garri, I rushed to the market to get Karago. But I was put off by the woman who was to sell Karago to me because she was using the same hand she had used in eating mango and kept the peel to sell the commodity to me without caring to wash her hands. That was it for me. I rejected it, and since then, I have not gone back,” Sunday reportedly said.

Another resident, a medical practitioner, who pleaded not to be mentioned in the print, told Arewa Voice that efforts to file a complaint with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) have not also produced effective results.

“It troubles me too each time I pass by those sellers. I don’t know if they know that they are not helping their fellow compatriots,” he noted.

He added: “It is the same thing at Muda Lawal Market and even Wunti. The least they could do is to use transparent nylon materials to cover them because unlike meat, beans and other foodstuffs, Kulikuli is not cooked before being eaten.

“I have tried filing a report with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission but each time their server would not connect. You know, exposed foods like this can be contaminated and, when eaten, could result in various sicknesses.”

When contacted to speak about the development, senior staff at the FCCPC Bauchi State office, Mallam Bapah, told reporters that “If people send us complaints about it, we will take action against them.”

It is no longer news that food exposed to flies and an unhealthy environment can lead to food poisoning.