Experts urge immediate ban on GMO Foods in Nigeria

The Executive Director of a non-governmental organisation, the Centre for Food Safety and Agricultural Research (CEFSAR), Professor Chris Qrisstuberg Amua, has called for an immediate ban on the cultivation and importation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) food in Nigeria.

Similarly, the Director of the Centre for African Policy Research and Advisory has urged the government to take prompt action to halt the importation of GMO products and chemicals into the country in order to safeguard the nation’s agricultural potential.

Both experts made their remarks at a one-day media workshop in Abuja, which focused on the impact of GMO food on the health and food safety of Nigerians.

Professor Amua warned that GMO products pose a significant threat to the nation’s efforts towards food safety and security. In his view, they have the potential to harm both individual health and agricultural production. He also pointed out that several African countries have already rejected GMO products.

Dr Adebayo, another speaker at the event, described GMOs as a “Trojan horse” gradually undermining the country’s agricultural sector. He expressed concerns that the introduction of GMOs could lead to the dominance of large biotechnology corporations, potentially displacing smallholder farmers and disrupting traditional agricultural practices.

Professor Amua called on the House of Representatives to draft legislation addressing the risks posed by GMO foods to the wellbeing of Nigerians. He stated that chemicals banned in European countries are being manufactured and exported to Africa, particularly Nigeria, for agricultural use, which, according to him, is slowly eroding the country’s agricultural capacity.

Speaking on health risks, Professor Amua cited evidence suggesting a correlation between the rise in GMOs and the increased use of glyphosate with a surge in specific health issues since the 1990s in the United States. These conditions include gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.

He stressed the need for rigorous, independent scientific research into the potential impacts of GMOs, particularly regarding endocrine disruption, cancer precursors, oxidative stress, the gut microbiome, and Cytochrome P450 pathways.

Professor Amua also highlighted the potential legal challenges smallholder farmers might face under the Nigeria Seed Variety Act of 2021, citing the risk of lawsuits from seed corporations for unauthorised seed sharing or processing. He urged the protection of small farms and the promotion of agricultural diversity, citing lessons from countries like Malawi and Angola.

Dr Adebayo warned that the unregulated approval of GMOs in Nigeria has created a security vulnerability that foreign powers could exploit through agricultural sabotage. He argued that food security is intrinsically linked to national survival, and the failure to regulate GMOs could leave Nigeria vulnerable to external manipulation.

He cautioned that threats today extend beyond armed conflict to include invisible and scientific warfare, such as biotechnological control over food systems. According to him, if Nigeria fails to secure its biosecurity, it risks losing not just agricultural sovereignty but also national stability.

Dr Adebayo called for an immediate and total ban on both the importation and cultivation of GMOs until an independent national assessment is conducted. He also advocated for the removal of foreign influences from Nigeria’s biosafety regulatory framework and the development of a comprehensive biosecurity strategy involving public, private, and military intelligence.

He concluded, “This is not just about food, it is about survival. If Nigeria does not take radical and immediate action, we will become a dumping ground for rejected biotechnologies, a testing lab for genetic experiments, and economically dependent on those who control our food supply.”