FORMER Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has raised concerns over the alleged widespread use of potentially harmful chemicals to ripen and preserve fruits and vegetables in Nigeria, warning that food products that appear fresh and natural may not necessarily be safe for consumption.
News Point Nigeria reports that Osinbajo, a professor of law, made the disclosure while recounting an experience involving his wife, Dolapo, whose freshly squeezed orange juice was reportedly found to be “not fit for human consumption” after she developed unusual and persistent headaches.
In remarks at the Open Day for Gardeners’ Seminar, themed “Leaving the Earth Better Than We Found It,” held in Lagos on August 28, Osinbajo recounted how his wife had switched from carbonated drinks to freshly squeezed orange juice as a healthier alternative but subsequently began experiencing unexplained headaches. A video of the event was shared on the former vice-president’s YouTube channel on Wednesday. The event was part of the fifth edition of Open Day for Gardeners held in Lagos from August 28 to 30.
According to Osinbajo, after other possible causes had been ruled out, his wife sent a batch of the juice to a laboratory for analysis. “The results came back. It showed that the freshly squeezed orange juice was not fit for human consumption,” he said.
He said the incident highlighted the potential dangers consumers could face from chemicals introduced into food products at different stages of the supply chain, amid concerns over food safety and the need for greater scrutiny of practices involved in the production, preservation and distribution of fruits and vegetables in the country.
Osinbajo said some farmers use potentially dangerous pesticides on fruits and vegetables, while some traders allegedly use chemicals to accelerate ripening or extend the shelf life of produce. He specifically identified calcium carbide as one of the substances allegedly used to force fruits such as bananas, mangoes, pawpaws and tomatoes to ripen and change colour rapidly.
The former vice-president said evidence from studies and surveys suggested that the practice was not isolated. He cited a 2024 study in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, involving 20 fruit sellers, saying half of those interviewed admitted using calcium carbide. He also referenced a study in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, which he said found that 25 per cent of fruit sellers surveyed admitted using calcium carbide to ripen fruits.
In Lagos, Osinbajo said a 2023 survey involving 50 fruit and vegetable retailers found that 22 admitted using chemicals to preserve their produce. He said the findings should raise serious concerns about food safety, particularly because consumers may have no way of knowing whether chemicals had been used on produce before it reached them.
“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,” he said.
Osinbajo further listed substances he said some traders had identified as being used to treat or preserve produce, including Gamma-lin-20, Sniper, phosphide, DDT and brodifacoum. He described phosphide as a highly toxic fumigant and brodifacoum as a type of rat poison, underscoring the potential danger of using substances not intended for food preservation.
The former vice-president called for stronger regulation and enforcement across Nigeria’s food supply chain, saying government agencies must do more to prevent the use of unsafe chemicals in food production and distribution. He also urged authorities to intensify public education and provide farmers and traders with safer alternatives for pest control, ripening and preservation.
Consumers, he said, must equally become more vigilant by asking questions about the source and handling of their food, washing produce properly and reporting suspicious practices to the relevant authorities. Osinbajo stressed that government action alone would not be enough to tackle the problem, urging citizens to become more active in their communities.
“Government regulation needs to be enforced, but in a country this size, we have to be active ourselves,” he said, urging individuals to report suspicious practices and push for change. His warning draws renewed attention to the safety of fruits and vegetables in Nigeria and the need for effective monitoring of chemicals used from the farm through transportation and markets to consumers.
Recent research has also documented food-safety concerns associated with inappropriate calcium-carbide ripening, while NAFDAC has warned against its use.