A viral video showing a man mixing dye into palm oil has triggered widespread outrage across Nigeria, prompting urgent demands for investigation and enforcement from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
RoundReports understood that the footage, which first circulated online in late November, shows an unidentified individual pouring a concentrated dye into a large basin of palm oil to enhance its colour.
The practice, believed to mimic the natural red tone of high-quality oil, has raised serious fears among health experts, who warn that such adulteration could carry severe health risks, including cancer.
Medical doctor and popular health influencer, Chinonso Egemba, widely known as Aproko Doctor, condemned the act in a video commentary on Monday, describing it as “wickedness” and linking such practices to Nigeria’s low life expectancy.
“What do you mean you’re putting dye inside palm oil just so that it will look red?
“There are certain dyes that are carcinogenic, which can actually lead to cancer. When you hear things like our life expectancy is 50-something years, these are part of the reasons,” he said.
He criticised what he called weak regulation in the informal food market, arguing that enforcement teams are underfunded and often unable to track unregistered vendors.
“This person is probably not registered. Their products are entering the market unregulated.
“Local officers supposed to hunt down this type of person are underfunded. Most times, they’ve gone to find another job instead of ensuring our health as Nigerians,” he said.
Aproko Doctor's reaction was echoed by Dr Yonni Johnson, tweeting as #CoddasO, who called the act “slow murder,” warning that many industrial dyes are toxic to the liver, kidneys and blood.
Johnson added that genuine palm oil should appear naturally red from its carotenoid content, not from artificial colouring.
Aproko Doctor also demonstrated a basic home test involving mixing palm oil with water. Pure oil, he said, separates cleanly, while adulterated oil may release colour. But experts and users cautioned that the test is not definitive.
“The kind of dyes used are usually lipophilic azo dyes, which dissolve in oil, not water,” X user #jiboladev noted, warning that the method “should not be seen as conclusive.”
The video has opened a wider debate about consumer expectations and market pressure. Several Nigerians argued that demand for excessively red oil fuels adulteration.
“Most Nigerians caused this. People look for oil that is pepper red. If it’s not ‘redding,’ they say it’s fake, pushing some vendors to manipulate the colour,” Facebook user Queen Glad wrote.
Others called for both government action and cultural change.
X user #MandelaBTC wrote, “We blame the government every day, yet forget that the people in government were once ordinary Nigerians like us. Real change begins when we stop seeing cheating as ‘smart’ and call it what it is—cruelty.”
Citizens have continued urging NAFDAC to intervene swiftly. “How do you vet what you’re buying once it enters the market?” #leofreddie07 asked on X.
Another user, Kingsley Bassey (#Vin_Rouge_King), appealed directly: “#NafdacAgency, please help investigate and bring to book this evil act.”
The backlash has expanded to broader food safety claims, with some Nigerians calling for investigation into tomato paste, vegetable oil, stockfish and other products believed to be susceptible to adulteration.
“That same chemical is allegedly used to make tomato paste. Please let them tell us the ingredients that give it that reddish colour,” Facebook user Hycenth Ifeanyi Udodili said.
“There must be serious enforcement in Nigeria. The government can create jobs through enforcement,” Olowe Bowale wrote.
Other users recounted personal experiences with suspicious products. “Even groundnut oil. I bought oil, and when I tried to fry plantains, the foam covered everywhere,” #AUNTYMUSE_ said.
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