Former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has raised concerns over the use of potentially dangerous chemicals in the cultivation, ripening and preservation of fruits and vegetables in Nigeria, recounting how a laboratory test reportedly found his wife Dolapo’s freshly squeezed orange juice unfit for human consumption.
Osinbajo disclosed this 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 subsequently shared on his YouTube channel and began circulating widely on Saturday.
According to the former Vice-President, his wife had stopped consuming carbonated drinks several years ago and adopted fresh orange juice as a daily alternative. However, she later began experiencing unexplained headaches.
“Dolly, my dear wife, likes to have a full glass of freshly squeezed orange juice every day, a very healthy habit, by the way, especially since she stopped consuming any form of carbonated drinks many years ago,” Osinbajo said.
He said the family initially did not suspect the juice because it was regarded as a healthy drink, but after other possible causes were considered, a sample was sent to a laboratory for examination.
“The results came back. It showed the orange juice, freshly squeezed, was not fit for human consumption,” he said.
Osinbajo said the experience raised questions about the substances being used by some farmers and fruit sellers to grow, ripen and preserve agricultural produce.
“Apparently farmers use dangerous pesticides for fruits and vegetables, and fruit and vegetable sellers use very dangerous chemicals sometimes to ripen or preserve fruits and vegetables,” he said.
Calcium carbide, other chemicals
The former Vice-President specifically raised concerns over the use of calcium carbide to accelerate the ripening of fruits, saying the practice could make produce appear ripe and attractive within a short period.
“Calcium carbide is used very frequently to force fruits such as bananas, mangoes, pawpaws and tomatoes to change colour and look ripe very quickly,” he said.
Osinbajo cited studies which he said had documented the use of chemicals among fruit sellers in different parts of the country.
He referred to a 2024 study in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, in which he said 10 of 20 fruit sellers interviewed admitted using calcium carbide. He also cited a study in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, where he said 25 per cent of sellers surveyed acknowledged using the chemical.
He further referenced a 2023 survey of 50 fruit and vegetable retailers in Lagos, saying 22 of those interviewed admitted using chemicals to preserve their produce.
The former Vice-President also listed substances he said had been mentioned in studies or reports on the practice, including pesticides and other toxic chemicals.
“So, this is almost, you know, like an epidemic,” he said, warning about the potential consequences of exposing consumers to hazardous substances through food.
Calls for stronger regulation
Osinbajo warned Nigerians against assuming that the freshness or appearance of fruits and vegetables automatically meant they were safe for consumption.
“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.
He called for stronger regulation and enforcement by relevant authorities, alongside greater public awareness and education for farmers and traders on safer methods of producing, ripening and preserving agricultural products.
“So, this calls for stronger regulation, stronger enforcement. It also calls for greater public awareness,” Osinbajo said.
He further urged consumers to be more vigilant, question how agricultural products are handled and report suspicious practices to the appropriate authorities.
Osinbajo’s remarks have renewed concerns about food safety and the possible use of harmful substances in Nigeria’s agricultural value chain, particularly in the treatment, preservation and artificial ripening of fruits and vegetables.
However, the specific laboratory report referenced by Osinbajo has not been publicly presented in the reports reviewed, and the identity of the substance that allegedly rendered the orange juice unfit for consumption was not disclosed. Similarly, his account does not independently establish that the juice was the cause of his wife’s headaches.
