- Community NGO moves to stop recurring cassava poisoning deaths through farmer education and government engagement
The Jimoh Habeeb Omeiza Community Care Initiative (JHOCCI), a registered NGO dedicated to grassroots well-being and community development, has announced a new Cassava Flour Safety Sensitization Program aimed at ending the recurring loss of lives to poisonous cassava flour, popularly known as amala or uka, across Ebiraland.
The initiative comes after several painful incidents in which families lost loved ones to contaminated cassava flour, including recent cases recorded in Ohuepe and Ihima, both in Okehi Local Government Area. According to JHOCCI, these tragedies have become a recurring pattern in the region, one the organization insists does not have to continue.
“No one should lose a loved one to a meal that could have been made safe with the right knowledge,” JHOCCI Management said in announcing the program.
Cassava flour remains a daily staple for thousands of families across Ebira’s rural communities, making its safety a matter of urgent public concern. Poisoning cases typically stem from unsafe processing methods, and JHOCCI believes the solution lies in tackling the problem at its root, before contaminated flour ever reaches the table.
Bringing in the Experts
To address the issue directly, JHOCCI has engaged university agricultural experts and food safety professionals who have agreed to support the initiative. Their role will be to educate farmers and processors on the underlying causes of cassava poisoning and on safe processing techniques that can prevent it.
A Two-Phase Plan
The program will unfold in two phases:
Phase 1: Farm Settlement Outreach — A three-day outreach effort will take JHOCCI’s team directly to farm settlements across Ebiraland, where farmers and processors will be educated face-to-face on the causes of cassava poisoning and on safer processing methods they can adopt immediately.
Phase 2: Grand Stakeholders’ Event — Following the outreach, JHOCCI will convene a major gathering bringing together farmers, producers, community leaders, and well-meaning Ebira citizens. The event will serve as a platform to discuss findings from Phase 1, draft practical recommendations, and formally present them to the Kogi State Government for action.
Dates for both phases have not yet been finalized. JHOCCI says further details will be communicated as plans are confirmed.
A Call to Ebiraland
JHOCCI is appealing to well-meaning sons and daughters of Ebira, alongside NGOs and partner organizations, to support the initiative financially, technically, or logistically. The organization describes the campaign as a life-saving effort that depends on collective community support to succeed.
“Together, we can save lives,” JHOCCI Management said.
Community members and organizations interested in supporting the program are encouraged to reach out to JHOCCI directly to learn how they can get involved.
