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Nigerians react as some Chicken Republic outlets go ‘out of stock for chicken’

Fakoyejo Olalekan
Nigerians react as some Chicken Republic outlets go 'out of stock for chicken'

Chicken Republic is currently the butt of joke among Nigerians after some of its outlets reportedly told customers, including Nollywood Actress, Funke Akindele, that the company was out of chicken. 

The response of the quick-service restaurant to orders by customers was a shocker. It’s like telecommunication companies telling their customers they are out of airtime. Although Chicken isn’t the only delicacy sold by Chicken Republic, who wants to order rice without complementing it with Chicken? 

While such rhetoric is common at Nigerian wedding receptions where meat is often exhausted before rice, such is not expected of Chicken Republic. The company is trending on Social Media platform, Twitter even though only a few of its outlets are reportedly out of chicken. 

A Nairametrics staff, who visited one of Chicken Republic outlets in Magodo, Lagos, was told the same thing – “no chicken”.

When he requested for available alternatives, the attendant replied, “We have chips.”

Is the border closure the reason? 

This disclosure by some outlets of Chicken Republic is happening at a time the Nigerian land borders are closed. The borders have been closed since October and are not expected to open until January 2020. 

The border closure has affected several businesses because the closure was sudden and President Muhammadu Buhari didn’t give traders, producers, and other businesses the time to prepare for its impact. This affected the price of foodstuffs across Nigeria, with Chicken price skyrocketing beyond control. 

[READ MORE: Border closure retaliation: Nigerian goods get dumped by West African countries]

This is because the border closure prevented importation of Chicken from neighbouring African countries. The only available option was the local Chicken. This caused high demand which resulted in a surge in price. Nairametrics had reported that poultry owners increased prices and told the government not to open the borders. 

So, is the price offered by poultry owners in Nigeria affecting Chicken Republic or is it just a one-off situation? 

It is a good and bad problem

Chicken Republic operates in a competitive market in Nigeria. The country is flooded with several quick-service restaurants, both local and foreign, including Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), The Place, Mr. Biggs, Tasty Fried Chicken (TFC), and many local restaurants. The competitors of the company will take advantage of the situation, as customers will be looking for available options in their areas. 

So, while the situation is currently bad for some of Chicken Republic outlets, the opposite is the case for its market rivals. Actress Funke Akindele said she opted for another local outlet when she was informed of the situation. Twitter users are already suggesting that Chicken Republic should borrow chicken from its rivals in order to meet demand. 

Reactions from Nigerians 

https://twitter.com/lazywritaNG/status/1196414912463097857

https://twitter.com/lazywritaNG/status/1196419088551235584

[READ ALSO: Nigeria’s decision to ban petrol delivery to border petrol stations is taking its toll]

https://twitter.com/Misterkobz/status/1196416631632740358

https://twitter.com/_dr90210/status/1196410822718832641

https://twitter.com/lazywritaNG/status/1196417715658989570

https://twitter.com/leketeekay/status/1196439690683068418

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