Ban GMOs Now to Protect Nigerians’ Health and Food Security
A growing number of experts in Nigeria are urging the Federal Government to immediately ban Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and glyphosate, warning of serious health, environmental, and national security risks tied to their use.
At a media workshop held in Abuja, scientists and policy researchers voiced strong concerns about the unchecked importation, cultivation, and consumption of GMO foods in the country. The event, organized to educate journalists, highlighted both global research and local dangers associated with GMOs.
Professor Qrisstuberg Amua, Executive Director of the Centre for Food Safety and Agricultural Research (CEFSAR), pointed to studies showing links between GMOs and rising health issues like obesity, infertility, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease particularly since the 1990s. He referenced research by Professor Seralini, which showed rats developing cancerous tumors after long-term GMO exposure, and warnings from American scientist Professor Don Huber, who linked GMO maize to fertility issues and spontaneous abortions.
Beyond health, Prof. Amua warned that GMO agriculture opens the door for domination by biotech giants like Monsanto, threatening the livelihoods of Nigerian smallholder farmers. The 2021 Seed Variety Act, he noted, could leave local farmers vulnerable to lawsuits simply for saving or sharing seeds.
Other nations, including Angola and several European countries, have already banned GMOs due to similar concerns. South Africa also recently reversed approval of a GMO maize variety after court intervention.
Dr. Segun Adebayo, from the Centre for African Policy Research and Advisory, took it further, calling GMOs a national security risk. He warned that Nigeria’s growing reliance on foreign biotech companies for seeds and crops creates a dangerous dependency. “Food can be weaponized,” he said, referencing the historical use of anti-crop weapons by major powers like the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
“If GMOs are engineered to fail under certain conditions or expose our food system to sabotage, Nigeria could face an artificial famine disguised as a natural disaster,” Adebayo warned.
Until a full, independent study reveals the extent of GMO use in Nigeria, both Amua and Adebayo say the country must act fast and enforce a total ban on GMO importation and cultivation.
Their message is clear: protecting Nigeria’s health, food systems, and that starts with taking back control of what’s growing in our fields and what’s ending up on our plates.