Nigeria’s food safety and public health are under threat due to the unchecked spread of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the country, experts have warned.
They called on the Federal Government to impose an immediate ban on the importation and cultivation of GMOs across the country, adding that GMOs are threats to national security.
Speaking at a media advocacy workshop for journalists covering the House of Representatives in Abuja, Executive Director of the Centre for Food Safety and Agricultural Research (CEFSAR), Prof. Chris Qrisstuberg Amua, warned that Nigeria is becoming a testing ground for GMO products and chemicals already outlawed in other countries.
He called on the House of Representatives to go beyond the motion it adopted in May 2024 and enact a robust law prohibiting GMO foods.
He warned that widespread exposure to GMO-linked substances such as glyphosate has been correlated with rising rates of diseases in countries like the United States, including cancer, diabetes, infertility, and neurological disorders.
Amua said: “Evidence suggests a correlation between the rise in GMOs and glyphosate use with an increase in specific health problems since the 1990s in the United States. This correlation encompasses conditions such as gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.
“While increased longevity and heightened surveillance might contribute to the rise in these diseases, the dramatic and persistent upswing since the 1990s points to other factors. These trends necessitate rigorous, independent scientific research, particularly concerning endocrine disruption, cancer precursors, oxidative stress, gut microbiome, and the Cytochrome P450 pathways.”
He said the introduction of GMOs could lead to the dominance of large biotechnology corporations like Monsanto, potentially displacing smallholder farmers and disrupting traditional farming practices.
Amua also raised concerns about the Nigeria Seed Variety Act of 2021, describing it as a potential legal trap for smallholder farmers.
He noted that similar laws in other countries have led to lawsuits from multinational seed corporations like Monsanto against local farmers for reusing seeds.
Also speaking, Director of the Centre for African Policy Research and Advisory, Dr. Segun Adebayo, described the growing presence of GMOs in Nigeria as a direct threat to the country’s food independence and internal security.
Adebayo called for an urgent national study to assess the spread of GMOs in Nigeria.
He said such a study must be independent and free from foreign biotech interests, which he accused of influencing the country’s biosafety regulations.
He further recommended a comprehensive strategy to defend Nigeria’s biosecurity, including the removal of foreign influence from regulatory bodies, the development of local GMO alternatives, and collaboration between government, intelligence services, and research institutions.
“If Nigeria does not act now, we risk becoming a dumping ground for rejected genetic technologies and a hostage to the corporations that control our food supply,” Adebayo warned.
