Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has disclosed that a laboratory test on his wife, Dolapo’s, freshly squeezed orange juice found it unfit for human consumption, as he raised the alarm over the widespread use of dangerous chemicals by farmers and fruit sellers across the country.
Osinbajo made the disclosure while speaking at the Open Day for Gardeners’ Seminar themed “Leaving The Earth Better Than We Found It,” held in Lagos on August 28.
A video of the event was shared on his YouTube channel on Wednesday and went viral on Saturday.
He said his wife, who stopped taking carbonated drinks years ago in favour of daily fresh orange juice, began experiencing unexplained headaches despite her healthy habit.
“She would look at my own Coke drinking habits with a lot of disapproval… But then, after a while, she started having some strange headaches, drinking her fresh juice every day,” Osinbajo said.
He said his wife checked everything else she ate or drank without finding an explanation before sending a batch of the juice for laboratory testing.
“The results came back. It showed that the orange juice, freshly squeezed, was not fit for human consumption. This is freshly squeezed orange juice. Not fit for human consumption,” he added.
Chemicals used to ripen produce
Osinbajo said the case exposed a wider problem of farmers and traders using hazardous substances, chiefly calcium carbide, to force fruits such as bananas, mangoes and tomatoes to ripen and change colour quickly.
He cited a 2024 study which found that half of 20 fruit sellers interviewed admitted to using calcium carbide, and another study which put usage at 25 per cent among sellers surveyed.
He also referenced a 2023 Lagos survey of 50 fruit and vegetable retailers, in which 22 — more than half — admitted to using chemicals to preserve their produce.
“So, this is almost, you know, like an epidemic. The substances that they named, that they use, aside from calcium carbide, include gamma-lin-20, which, as you know, is poison, sniper, phosphite. Phosphite is a highly toxic fumigant,” he said.
Calls for stronger regulation, public vigilance
Osinbajo said the findings showed that appearance was not a reliable indicator of safety, whether for fresh produce or natural juice.
“The fact that fruit looks fresh doesn’t mean that it is safe, and the fact that a drink is natural doesn’t mean that something dangerous has not been added to it along the way, especially along the journey from the farm to the table.
“So, this calls for stronger regulation, stronger enforcement. It also calls for greater public awareness,” he said.
He called for stronger regulation and enforcement, alongside greater public education for farmers and traders on safer alternatives, and urged consumers to question sellers, inspect produce and report suspicious practices.
Osinbajo’s remarks add a prominent voice to growing public concern over counterfeit and substandard products in Nigerian markets.
Saturday PUNCH had earlier reported a wave of online campaigns exposing fake food, drugs, cosmetics and other consumer goods.
One of the most prominent recent examples to go viral involved suspected fake Oral-B toothpaste. Other social media users listed dyed palm oil, apples painted green to red to appear fresher, fake soy sauce and olive oil, and counterfeit Hollandia yoghurt among products circulating in local markets.
Saturday PUNCH reports that NAFDAC’s Head of Enforcement, Dr Martin Iluyomade, did not respond to calls or WhatsApp messages seeking comment when PUNCH reached out over the allegations, while the Standards Organisation of Nigeria directed enquiries back to NAFDAC.
