The mysterious deaths caused by ogogoro
consumption in Rivers state make the top
headlines of Nigerian dailies but few know the
process involved in making the local gin.
Ogogoro is called Sapele water, Kparaga, kai-
kai, Sun gbalaja, Egun inu igo meaning The
Masquerade in the Bottle and much more in
different local languages.
A CNN reporter, Christian Purefoy, went to a
distilling factory on the outskirts of Lagos
and captured live pictures of the process of
producing local gin.
The process of making ogogoro is simple and
illegal says Purefoy. The reporter met with a
young lad named Gabriel who described the
process of making the local gin.
The main ingredient is the palm sap which
he has to climb a palm tree to get. A bucket is
then filled with palm sap and drowned fruit
flies.
After extracting the sap, Gabriel replaces the
full bucket with an empty one and climbs
down the tree.
Christain Purefoy at the distillery
The extracted sap is first mixed with sugar
and left to ferment for seven days in sealed
blue barrels.
Gabriel then places rusted oil drums over a
hot fire and the fermented alcohol poured in.
he next stage is to allow the alcohol
evaporate and then allow to condense by
passing it down small pipes through a vat of
cold water then it drips out into a bucket
where it is now refined as ogogoro or kai
kai.
Purefoy says Gabriel and his friends tell him
that he can make up to 400 liters of gin a day.
He says it from here that market women come
with their kegs and drums to buy so they can
sell to others.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has
banned the consumption of ogogoro.
The FG was forced to ban the local gin after
reports surfaced of the deaths of quite a
number of people after consuming the
alcoholic drink.
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