World Food Safety Day: CSOs advocate ban on GMOs

Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Wednesday called on the Federal Government to upgrade the moratorium on GMOs. They urge the National Assembly to enact an outright ban. This should include the use of Genetically Modified Organisms and their products in Nigeria.

The food safety and sovereignty-focused CSOs include the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF). They also comprise Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (RRA/FoEN). Additionally, the GMO-free Nigeria Alliance is part of this group.

This call was made in a statement issued by Miss Kome Odhomor, HOMEF’s Media/Communication Lead, to mark World Food Safety Day 2025.

The group noted there was an urgent need for a food systems transformation in Nigeria. This is necessary to ensure the availability, accessibility, and affordability of food. It is also vital to ensure resilience to environmental challenges, including climate change.

They maintained that the country cannot adopt a technology whose disadvantages far outweigh potential advantages. This technology benefits only a handful of people, specifically the biotech corporations and their allies.

The statement quoted Dr Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director of HOMEF. He said that a moratorium on GMOs by the National Assembly was very appropriate.

According to Bassey, a nullification of previous permits and approvals is critical. GMOs are not designed to address food insecurity. Instead, they consolidate control of the food and farming system in the hands of a few corporations and seed industries.

“Patent rights enforced on the products prohibit farmers from saving seeds. They also prevent sharing or replanting them. 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. Seed saving and sharing is an age-long culture in Nigeria. Farming is about 80 per cent informal. Farmers are able to select and improve seeds using traditional methods. They are also able to exchange the seeds.

“It is noteworthy that the Cotton Farmers’ Association of Nigeria reported in 2024. They noted that in about three years since planting the Bt Cotton, they haven’t recorded any significant increase in yields. The yields did not significantly increase compared to the indigenous varieties. Instead, they have observed that their soils become unproductive after planting the genetically modified cotton,” Dr Bassey explained.

The statement also quoted Dr Ifeanyi Casmir, a Molecular Biologist and Researcher. He noted that there is no evidence of long-term risk assessment conducted on the health impact of GMOs.

He highlighted that several studies link the consumption of GMOs to diverse health disorders. These include immune system disorders, increased allergic responses, chronic inflammation, organ toxicity, and tumour development.

Casmir also noted that studies have found Bt toxins (Cry1Ab) in 93 per cent of pregnant women. They are also found in 80 per cent of fetal cord blood. This raises risks of birth defects, cancer, and allergies.

“Our regulatory agency, the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), cannot provide any evidence of independent and extensive risk assessment. This shows irresponsibility and a lack of concern for public health,” he said.

The statement quoted Prof Tatfeng Mirabeau, Professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the Niger Delta University as submitting thus.

“Another critical reason why Nigeria should hold the brakes on GMOs is the impact on the environment. Bt Crops include the Bt beans approved for commercial release in 2019 and 2024, respectively. These crops contain proteins that destroy soil microorganisms when released into the soil. This process leads to soil degradation and reduced fertility.

There have been reported cases of pest resistance. This leads to the development of superbugs and super weeds. This occurs in the case of herbicide-tolerant GMOs. These GMOs make up about 80 per cent of all GMOs globally.

“The herbicides are designed mostly by the same companies producing the seeds. Studies have shown they destroy not just the target weeds. They also harm beneficial organisms in the ecosystem, including bees.

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.”

According to Mariann Bassey-Orovwuje, ERA’s Deputy Executive Director, Nigeria, currently does not have a policy on open market labelling. As a result, the public does not have the right of choice as to whether or not to consume GMOs.

“This negates our right of choice and the right to safe food,” he added.

Orovwuje further noted that there are fundamental flaws with the current Biosafety Regulatory Agency. One issue is that there is no provision on strict liability. This provision should make certain that the permit holder for any GM product takes responsibility. They should be accountable for any negative effects that will follow.

According to her, another major flaw in the National Biosafety Management Agency Act is the lack of attention. The act overlooks the Precautionary Principle. This principle advises a halt on any process where there are threats to health. It also concerns environmental impacts from the use of GMOs.

She explained that Nigeria needs to critically address waste, which accounts for about 40 per cent of the food produced.

“In the same vein, Nigeria needs to critically address issues of insecurity and banditry. These problems keep many farmers away from their farms. This situation leads to reduced productivity.

Nigeria can transform its agriculture system inclusively and sustainably. This can be achieved by adopting and promoting agroecology. Agroecology not only ensures increased productivity by improving soil health and biodiversity. It also assures economic resilience for our farmers. Additionally, it provides climate change resilience.

“Let’s be clear, GMOs are not the solution to food insecurity. True progress lies in empowering our farmers through sustainable, inclusive practices that safeguard our land, our people, and our future. Nigeria has the potential to lead a truly green, resilient agroecological revolution, if we act decisively now!” the group stated.