Ex-Workers Expose the Alarming Secrets Behind Everyday Services
A recent discussion on Twitter posed a striking question: “What are some company secrets you can spill, since you no longer work there?”
The responses offered unsettling insights into industries that millions of people rely on daily. They revealed not only questionable practices but also a deeper problem of trust between consumers and service providers.
One former phone repair worker described how customers are routinely overcharged for screen replacements.
A screen that costs ₦10,000 may be billed at ₦25,000, with repairers insisting that the inflated figure represents the actual price of the part.
The practice disguises labor and profit margins as unavoidable costs.
A contributor from the radio industry revealed that some stations rely on staff or students to call in during programmes in order to simulate audience engagement. The tactic creates a false impression of active listenership and undermines the authenticity of the broadcast.
In the food sector, allegations were even more disturbing. It was claimed that chicken past its prime is sometimes washed with acidic chemicals to restore its appearance before being served in restaurants. If accurate, this represents not only an ethical breach but a serious public health risk. Such revelations place renewed responsibility on agencies like the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to intensify inspections of restaurants, eateries, and food processing facilities.
Hospitals were also implicated. Some participants alleged that caesarean sections are recommended in cases where vaginal delivery is possible, with financial gain acting as the motive. Others recounted experiences where syringes were reused between patients, a practice that is both unsafe and unacceptable. These claims demand urgent attention from the Federal Ministry of Health, as well as the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, to ensure that medical ethics and patient safety are never compromised for profit.
Even supermarkets, long considered a safe option for consumers, were not exempt. A former employee disclosed that expired products including baby formula and drinks were sometimes relabeled with new dates and sold as fresh stock. This points again to the crucial role of NAFDAC and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) in ensuring that products reaching shelves are safe, authentic, and properly regulated.
Individually, these revelations may appear anecdotal. Taken together, however, they expose a troubling reality: in too many sectors, the pursuit of profit overrides transparency, ethics, and consumer safety. What is most concerning is the extent to which such practices may have become normalized.
This should be a wake-up call for regulators. Consumers cannot afford to take appearances at face value, and agencies cannot continue with business as usual. NAFDAC, SON, the Consumer Protection Council, and the Federal Ministry of Health must move beyond issuing warnings and adopt strict, visible enforcement. That means more random inspections, surprise checks at supermarkets and restaurants, public disclosure of offenders, and shutting down facilities that repeatedly endanger public health. Only strong action backed by real consequences will protect Nigerians and rebuild confidence in the systems meant to safeguard them.
