Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has recounted how his wife allegedly developed frequent headaches after switching from Coca-Cola to fresh orange juice.
In a video circulating online, Osinbajo said the headaches started a few months after his wife stopped drinking Coca-Cola and began consuming fresh orange juice.
According to the former Vice President, his wife later sent a fresh batch of the orange juice for laboratory testing. He said the results allegedly showed that the oranges were unfit for human consumption because of chemicals purportedly used by farmers to ripen and preserve them.
The claim has triggered online reactions, with Nigerians raising broader concerns about food safety, agricultural practices and the use of chemicals in food production.
Kingsley George said the issue had gone “too deep” across the food value chain, arguing that orientation alone would not be enough to discourage the use of chemicals and other inorganic catalysts in crop, food, beverage and animal production.
“Every farmer wants to increase yield by eliminating pests and diseases, but at the end of the value chain awaits more variant diseases that resist the most potent antibiotics,” George wrote, linking the issue to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
He also alleged that some food producers and traders use various substances to speed up processing or alter the appearance and texture of food.
“Fufu producers in our rural communities now hasten cassava fermentation with detergent, while horse tail (cow tail) and cow skin (pomo) are now being softened with rusted nails and paracetamol,” he claimed.
George further alleged that palm oil is sometimes artificially coloured and raised concerns about the handling of frozen fish after prolonged storage in the cold chain.
Another commenter, Mo Shaffi, said concerns about what he consumes influenced his decision to become a farmer.
“I became a farmer because I was conscious of what I consume, and later my approach shifted from subsistence farming to commercial farming,” Shaffi said.
Agada Immanuel Eneojo said his MSc dissertation focused on issues directly connected to food safety and the environment.
“I’m soooo proud of my MSc Dissertation. It borders directly on this. I love the science that is not abstract and has a direct impact on human beings and the immediate environment,” Eneojo said.
He added that recent discussions about pesticide residues in food and their potential health effects had made his research particularly relevant.
“Public education on safer alternatives, Stronger regulation, and stronger enforcement are parts of the way out,” he said.
However, Chronicle NG could not independently verify the alleged laboratory report cited by Osinbajo or establish a direct link between the orange juice and his wife’s headaches.
