Ogun Students Object To Being Left Out of Noodles' Palliatives

STUDENTS in Ogun State protested on Friday against the manufacturers of Indomie 2-minute noodle meal's removal from the recently concluded outreach for the distribution of humanitarian meals to the state's old population, citing the company's disregard for its population.

The Ogun students have given wholesalers and retailers of the company's manufactured goods a 72-hour ultimatum to exhaust sales or dispose of them; if they fail to do so, they threaten to destroy them. The Ogun Students operate under the auspices of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the Joint Campus Committee (JCC) of the Ogun axis, and other organizations.

In a statement released in Abeokuta on Friday, the students accused the management of De United Foods Industries Limited, the company that makes Indomie Noodles, of purposefully leaving the student population out of the intended beneficiaries of the company's consumer outreach initiatives, despite the fact that they are clearly and widely recognized as “the Indomie generation.”

Adeyanju Francis Oluwafemi for NANS/JCC, Ogun Axis; Thomas Mathew Kehinde, NAOSS Global President; Kehinde Damilola Simeon, Chairman, Ogun Students Stakeholders Forum; Opeyemi Bestman George, President PSM Nig; and Abdulwasiu Lawal, Chairman, NAUS OGUN CMC, all signed the declaration.

The student body in the statement commended Indomie Noodle for its commitment to the statutory Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) but also chastised the manufacturer for not implementing similar programs for the students, who they claimed constituted a proportionate significance of approximately 70% of the company's customers from primary, secondary schools up to the higher institution.

“Despite this substantial representation, there has been an apparent deficiency in gestures of appreciation or support towards students in Ogun State.

“Ogun students perceive Dufil Prima Food's occasional campus visits predominantly as sales- driven endeavours rather than genuine attempts to engage with students. Given the pivotal role students play in the noodle market, it is imperative to ensure equitable consumer engagement.

“In response to these concerns, the student body in Ogun State hereby, declare that Dufil Prima Food products should be removed from stores situated within a 100-meter radius of educational institutions in Ogun State,” the students said.

The message threatened that “Non-compliance will results in picketing” and “strongly” requested all vendors retailing Dufil noodles inside the student population to follow the directive within 72 hours.