Kola nut and its many faces

By Cecilia Ologunagba, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

"The Yoruba plant it, the Hausa eat a lot of it and the Ibo make so
much noise about it," goes a popular saying in Yoruba.

The object of this statement, seen as vexing by a group, is the kola
nut or cola nut.

The tall evergreen trees of kola nut thrive better in the South-West
(Yoruba); the nut is eaten more by majority of people in the North
(Hausa); and the Ibo (East), celebrate and virtually idolise it.

Elders explain that there are three species of kola nut. Two are well
known -- the one with two lobes and the other with three or up to six
lobes.

The third one, which can be described as having suffered generic
malformation, draws in the mouth like okra. The Yoruba call it "obi
abidan". It is often abandoned in the bush, if mistakenly harvested.
For now, "abidan" has no traditional or economic value.

The two-lobe kola nut is "gbanja" in Yoruba, "gwuro" in Igbo. The kola
nut with more than two lobes is "obi abata" in Yoruba and "oji Igbo"
in Igbo.

To the Hausa, kola nut is "goro", regardless of the number of its lobes.

Elders say it is indeed a unique nut that has intricate social and
traditional significance among all tribes of Nigeria – not just the
three major ethnic groups mentioned above.

Hence, it features in many traditional occasions in all parts of
Nigeria and many African countries, especially those of the
West-African sub-region.

They note that it is a product of the deities and an object of divination.

Kola nut is to many Nigerians what tea or coffee is to people in the
developed world because of its high caffeine content.

However, Dr Adepoju Adeleke, Managing Director, Tree Crops Development
and Marketing (TRECODEM) company, says kolanut also has industrial and
pharmaceutical usages.

Adeleke says kola nut can be processed into chocolate, wine and
biscuits. He adds that it is equally used in making pharmaceutical
products and for food preservation and colouration, as well as dyes.

``There is a company at Iseyin in Oyo State which currently produces
Kola nut wine.

"The products -- Dee Champagne and Sparkling wine -- are being
exported overseas and served in Nigerian Embassies abroad.

``The pod and husk of kola nut are substitutes for about 60 per cent
of animal feeds – in place of maize".

Adeleke adds that pectin, used in the manufacturing of jams and
preservatives, is in kola nut pods and husks.

According to him, the waste products of kola nut can be processed into
fertiliser.

He discloses that the Cocoa Research Institute (CRIN), Idi-Ayunre near
Ibadan, has recently developed a liquid detergent from kola nut husks
and pods.

The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) report on the income value of kola
nut, states that an increasing number of Nigerians earn their living
cultivating the tree crop.

It says: ``Kola nut is a low unit value product which virtually all
categories of income group can afford to consume.

"In view of the growing population, Nigerian farmers have been taking
advantage of the cash crop".

According to the report, the current annual production of kola nut in
Nigeria rages between 85,000 metric tonnes and 127,000 metric tonnes.

Historians say the product also featured in the Trans-Sahara Trade,
dating back to the 14th century.

They say that kola nut products (fresh and dry nuts), were exported in
large quantities to Congo, Gambia, US, Saudi Arabia, Germany, UK,
Pakistan, Turkey, Chad and Senegal.

Export statistics, however, show that current major importing
countries of kola nut are Germany, US, Saudi Arabia and the UK.

Statistics for 1992, 1993 and 1995 to these four countries – as
supplied by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) – showed that
65,000kg, 139,360kg and 2.1 tonnes respectively, were shipped to them.

Adeleke believes that the increase in the amount exported was due to
the discovery of new usages of kola nut in these advanced countries.

He says dry kola nut is being used for producing kola-based beverages,
liquor, and confectionaries.

Others include Alkaloids, Theo-bromine, Laxatives, Heart stimulants
and Sedatives in the pharmacological industries.

Mr Segun Aribike, a Yoruba from Ogbomosho, Oyo State, says kola nut is
mostly used during traditional weddings in his area.

"It is among the items that the groom’s family must present to their
in-laws along with bitter kola, honey, etc.

``The one we normally use is `cola Aminater’ -- which is the one we
call ‘Abata’ – it’s the specie with multiple lobes".

Aribike says the Yoruba value kola nut a lot, but they use it
specifically for ceremonies like naming, wedding, coronation,
installation of chiefs, etc.

He adds that the eating of kola nut is a habit by many people and that
some believe it serves as a stimulant.

Mallam Muhammad Mukhtar, a Kano indigene shares Aribike’s views. He
adds that in the North, kola nut is mostly eaten after meals -- like
fruits.

``Also, people eat kola nut for pleasure. From my observation, I find
out that people who smoke cigarettes enjoy eating kola nut the more.

``I eat kola nut, but I don’t have any compelling reason. I just eat
it for pleasure", he says.

According to Mr Patrick Nwaefido, an elder from Igbo speaking part of
Delta, there is a common saying among the Ibo that ‘whoever brings
kola nut brings life’.

Nwaefido says the Ibo have a strong tradition attached to Kola nut and
is well celebrated among them.

``It is used for most of our ceremonies -- both native and social. For
example, if someone is naming a child, kola nut is very important.

``For our annual ceremonies like birthday and wedding anniversaries,
kola nut is the first thing that is needed for prayers".

According to Nwaefido, kola nut signifies a bond between the people to
the extent that if there is a gathering without the breaking of kola
nut, it would be incomplete and unusual.

Mr Ojo Adelakun, a member of Kola nut Producers, Marketers and
Exporters Association of Nigeria, describes the crop as indigenous to
West Africa, particularly Nigeria.

Adelakun says Nigeria is home to 88 per cent of kola nuts in the world.

``I therefore implore the government, and its agencies and
stakeholders to encourage the development of this highly valued
product.

``We appeal to Mr President to support the production and exportation
of the product as a cash crop," he adds.

An agric economist, Mr Tunde Afolabi, is also appealing to the Federal
Government to use the country’s oil revenue to develop the
agricultural sector, including the cultivation of kola nut.

``It is instructive that it was from the agricultural sector that
Nigeria realised the money with which it developed the oil sector in
the early 1970s.

``Therefore, it is high time we used the oil revenue to develop
agriculture", he adds.

A medical doctor, Olatunbosun Balogun, says it is scientifically
proven that kola nut contains caffeine -- a stimulant.

Balogun warns that its excessive consumption produces a sense of
euphoria and well being.

Analysts are of the view that kola nut is a product that has just
arrived in the sense that further research would reveal its more
usefulness and demand for it, internationally, would increase.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html

To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤