Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA), and the GMO-free Nigeria Alliance have renewed their call for the Federal Government to suspend all Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and related products in Nigeria.
The appeal was made in a statement issued by HOMEF's Media/Communication Lead, Kome Odhomor, on Wednesday in Uyo as part of activities marking the 2025 World Food Safety Day.
GMOs: Corporate Control Over Food Systems
Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director of HOMEF, emphasized that a moratorium on GMOs, including nullification of previous approvals, is necessary because these organisms are designed to consolidate control of food systems in the hands of corporations rather than address food insecurity.
"This is known by the patent rights enforced on the products, which prohibit farmers from saving, sharing or replanting the seeds. Even those without the patent restrictions, when replanted, yield poorly. This is a calculated attack on Nigeria's food sovereignty and must be seen as such," Bassey stated.
He highlighted that seed saving and sharing is a traditional practice in Nigeria's predominantly informal farming sector, where farmers have historically selected and improved seeds using traditional methods.
Bassey also cited the Cotton Farmers' Association of Nigeria's 2024 report, which noted no significant yield increases from genetically modified Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) Cotton compared to indigenous varieties. Instead, farmers observed their soils becoming unproductive after planting the modified cotton.
Health and Environmental Concerns
Dr. Ifeanyi Casmir, a molecular biologist and researcher, pointed out the absence of long-term risk assessments by the government on GMOs' health impacts. He referenced studies linking GMO consumption to various health disorders, including immune system dysregulation, allergic responses, chronic inflammation, organ toxicity, and tumor development.
"The fact that our regulatory agency—the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA)—cannot show any evidence of independent and extensive risk assessment conducted shows irresponsibility and lack of concern for public health," Casmir said.
Casmir also noted alarming findings that Bt toxins (Cry1Ab) were detected in 93 percent of pregnant women and 80 percent of fetal cord blood, raising risks of birth defects, cancer, and allergies.
Professor Tatfeng Mirabeau, Professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, warned about environmental impacts, explaining that Bt crops like the beans approved for commercial release in 2019 and 2024 contain proteins that destroy soil microorganisms when released into the soil, leading to degradation and reduced fertility.
"GMOs pose a critical risk of genetic contamination of indigenous seed varieties owing to gene transfer. For this reason, Mexico and a host of other countries have placed a total or partial ban on GMOs. We cannot overlook such a grave threat to our plant genetic resources especially as such contamination is irreversible," Mirabeau stated.
Regulatory Gaps and Alternatives
Barr. Mariann Bassey-Orovwuje, ERA's Deputy Executive Director, highlighted that Nigeria lacks a policy on open market labeling, denying consumers the right to choose whether to consume GMOs.
"This negates our right of choice and the right to safe food," she emphasized.
Bassey-Orovwuje identified fundamental flaws in the current Biosafety Regulatory Agency, including the absence of provisions for strict liability to hold permit holders responsible for negative effects and insufficient attention to the Precautionary Principle, which advises halting processes with potential health or environmental threats.
She suggested that Nigeria should address food waste, which accounts for about 40% of food produced, and tackle insecurity and banditry that prevent farmers from accessing their farms.
The statement concluded that Nigeria could transform its agricultural system sustainably by adopting agroecology, which improves soil health and biodiversity while ensuring economic resilience for farmers and climate change adaptation.
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