By Tracy Ohovwore
Environmental advocacy groups, including the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), and the GMO-Free Nigeria Alliance, have called on the Federal Government to urgently ban the use and distribution of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and their by-products in Nigeria.
The demand was made during a virtual press briefing held yesterday to mark World Food Safety Day, themed “Caution in Science: Communicating the Risks Associated with GMOs”. The event was organized by HOMEF to spotlight the public health and environmental risks linked to GMOs in the country.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director of HOMEF, criticized the government’s promotion of GMO technology, asserting that it does not solve food insecurity but rather promotes monoculture, weakens food diversity, and increases hunger.
“Revoking previously issued GMO permits is critical,” Bassey stated. “GMOs are not designed to end hunger; they are engineered to hand control of our food and farming systems to multinational corporations through patent rights that restrict farmers from saving, sharing, or replanting seeds.”
He added that many GMO seeds, even those not under patent restrictions, produce poor yields when replanted—further undermining Nigeria’s age-old culture of seed saving and informal farming, which accounts for nearly 80% of agricultural activity in the country.
“GMOs are polluting our food system,” he warned. “We must decolonize our food system. The National Assembly should take swift action and ban GMOs outright.”
Mariann Bassey-Orovwuje, Deputy Executive Director of ERA/FoEN, lamented Nigeria’s lack of policy on GMO labeling in open markets, which deprives consumers of the right to choose non-GMO food options.
“While many countries are taking meaningful action against GMOs, Nigerian policymakers have ignored the potential dangers of consuming genetically modified foods,” she said. “Our food safety decisions must prioritize public health, not just business interests.”
Orovwuje also criticized the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), pointing out fundamental flaws in its regulatory framework. She noted that the absence of a strict liability clause means GMO permit holders are not held accountable for potential adverse effects. Furthermore, the NBMA Act fails to apply the Precautionary Principle, which would call for halting GMO activities in the presence of health or environmental risks.
“We must address key issues such as food waste—which accounts for about 40% of what’s produced—and insecurity, which prevents many farmers from accessing their farmlands. These are more pressing barriers to food security than GMOs,” she stressed.
Orovwuje advocated for the adoption of agroecology—a sustainable, inclusive model of farming that improves soil health, preserves biodiversity, and enhances climate resilience while promoting food sovereignty and farmer prosperity.
Also speaking at the event, Dr. Ifeanyi Casmir, a molecular biologist and researcher, expressed concern over the lack of long-term health risk assessments on GMOs conducted by the Nigerian government.
“There is a growing body of research linking GMO consumption to immune system disorders, chronic inflammation, heightened allergic reactions, organ toxicity, and even tumor growth,” Casmir warned.
Prof. Tatfeng Mirabeau echoed these concerns, stating that GMOs pose a significant risk of genetic contamination to indigenous seed varieties through gene transfer—an irreversible threat.
“We cannot afford to ignore such a grave danger to our native crop resources,” he said.
As public awareness grows, these environmental and public health experts continue to urge immediate legislative and regulatory action to protect Nigerians from the potential hazards of GMOs and to preserve the country’s food sovereignty.
