By Frank Tietie
There was a time in Nigeria when the thought of chicken, especially during Christmas, triggered a deep, almost emotional anticipation. The aroma, the firmness of the meat, and that satisfying resistance between the teeth all combined into what many of us fondly remember as the real chicken experience. Today, that memory feels increasingly distant.
This festive season, the quality of chicken meat available to Nigerian consumers has become a source of genuine public concern. Chicken, once a delicacy eagerly awaited at celebrations, now too often disappoints. Unless one is fortunate enough to find genuine local chicken, mass-produced poultry has become a pale imitation of what chicken used to be in the 1980s and 1990s in Nigeria.
Mass production should never be a justification for reduced quality. Yet, what we increasingly see suggests exactly that. A situation where chicken is harvested after a few months of breeding, and its meat loses cohesion faster than iced fish, should alarm everyone, including consumers, regulators, and producers alike.
Chicken meat that falls apart unnaturally, lacks texture, and offers no chewing satisfaction raises serious questions about production practices, feed quality, processing standards, and regulatory oversight.
As a self-proclaimed supermarket enthusiast who regularly visits large stores and engages in both home cooking and large-scale cooking, I have observed firsthand the alarming proliferation of poor-quality chicken meat across major supermarkets in Abuja. This is not an isolated experience, as many households quietly complain, shrug, and carry on as if this decline in chicken quality were inevitable. It should not be so.
The real worry is not merely culinary disappointment; it is what this trend says about our collective standards as a people who may forget culture so quickly. How did we, as a typical African society, forget the good feeling of chewing proper chicken meat? How did something once eagerly looked forward to during Christmas become something we now tolerate rather than enjoy?
Food quality is not a thing of luxury. It is a matter of public health, consumer protection, and cultural dignity. Nigerians deserve value for their money and safety in what they consume. This is why it is time for the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to urgently look into this matter before we stage a social action.
Poultry production, processing, freezing, storage, and retail standards must be scrutinised with seriousness and transparency.
If regulatory intervention is firm and sincere, there is no reason why, by this time next year, chicken meat in Nigeria should not be positively different, meaning it should be firmer, tastier, safer, and worthy of our festive tables once again.
Christmas chicken should not be a gamble. It should be a thing of joy as we looked forward to it.
Frank Tietie
Lawyer, Public Affairs Analyst & Executive Director of Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER), writes from Abuja
