We must admit to the fact that operating in Maiduguri has been extremely challenging for us as a business,” the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) has said.
NBC Head of Public Affairs and Communications, Uzo Odenigbo, made the point during a media tour of the company’s plant in Ikeja.
He said the NBC tries to improve the capability to gather intelligence in terms of protecting workers internally.
“We have some couple of very experienced security professionals who work with us.
“More importantly is to have a collaboration with the security forces so we can get as much intelligence that will support us and also make sure that our people are informed of the risk they face in operating in such a terrain.”
Odenigbo confirmed that the NBC, bottlers of Coca-Cola, analyses the situation in the high risk three North Eastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe where it has depots.
“It is about intelligence gathering, collaborating with security agencies but most importantly, analysing the situation and knowing what the triggers are.”
He explained that the overriding objective is to solidify the company’s presence in Nigeria, consolidate operations, and ensure efficiency in running locations.
He said what is paramount to the NBC is the safety of employees, and it has no plans to leave Maiduguri in spite of the challenges which had required suspending operations a couple of times.
“We are happy with the developments in the sense that our security operatives are managing the crisis in the North.
“We are happy with the news we are getting, we are happy with the fact that our security forces are able to stop the insurgents, but we also want to see more.”
NBC Ikeja plant Production Manager, Oluremi Bodunrin, spoke on measures put in place for optimal standard, in response to situations where stuff is found in bottles.
“It is a challenge that we are taking very strongly. There have been investigations, fact-finding the root cause, and analysis that has gone back to back in the standard process in our system,” he disclosed.
“There are external impacts about which I will not go into detail and there are also internal impacts that might be there. And we have a continuous review every day. It is about consumer safety and at this level it is extremely high priority.”
On whether Coke is more sugary in the North, he said there is no difference, stressing that Coke is the same all over the world.
“For Nigeria, as it were, the application is the same. We have heard this comment but it is more of perception than the actual taste.”
On local content, he said the NBC gets all its sugar from Dangote and is in partnership with TerrAgro, which has a concentrates plant in Makurdi.
NBC, incorporated in November 1951, is a member of Coca Cola Hellenic Bottling Company A.G.
It is the anchor bottler and distributor of all Coca Cola beverage brands in Nigeria.
