KEY POINTS
- Nigeria urges collaboration to manage GMO use responsibly.
- Anti-GMO groups call for a ban citing health risks.
- Experts warn GMOs could harm biodiversity and food sovereignty.
As experts express worries about the possible health risks associated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the federal government has called for a cooperative approach to their management.
Government calls for unity in GMO management efforts
The government’s commitment to protecting Nigerians’ lives was reaffirmed by Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari during a public hearing held in Abuja on Tuesday by the House of Representatives Committee on Agricultural Production.
Kyari reassured guests that the administration of Bola Tinubu is committed to food security and safety, aiming to strike a balance between GMO supporters and detractors.
“The government will not purposefully expose the populace to hazardous substances. Experts can exchange ideas and find common ground on food security through this event,” Kyari remarked. He underlined the importance of regulatory organisations.
The GMO-Free Nigeria Alliance, a collection of over 200 people and organisations, demanded a total ban on GMOs in Nigeria at the hearing. The group emphasised the dangers genetically modified foods pose to human health and the environment, as represented by consultant Inibehe Effiong.
“While investigations are ongoing, we implore the Federal Government to announce a policy against GMOs and stop their distribution,” Effiong stated. He denounced what he called “institutional arrogance,” citing assertions that eating possibly dangerous genetically modified organisms was better than going hungry.
According to Punch, Nigeria’s food sovereignty, biodiversity, and health are all threatened by its reliance on GMOs. Additionally, he cited data from the Nigerian National Cotton Association that showed GM cotton seeds had a negative impact on soil fertility and had not produced any appreciable production increases since their introduction in 2020–2021.
Experts link GMOs to security and agricultural challenges
GMOs were also criticised by stakeholders for making Nigeria’s security and agricultural problems worse. John Ekpere questioned assertions that GM crops are equivalent to non-GM ones and raised worries about nutritional decreases in GM crops.
Further, Qrisstuberg Amua, Executive Director of the Centre for Food Safety and Agriculture Research, referred to GMOs as “biological weapons.” He attributed instability to outside forces, especially in Nigeria’s bread basket state of Benue State, where farmers are threatened and unable to cultivate their land.
National security authorities should look into these assertions, Amua said, adding that “these forces aim to create hunger and promote GMOs as the solution.”
The hearing highlighted the stark differences between those who support genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as a means of addressing agricultural issues and others who oppose them due to concerns about their possible effects on environmental sustainability, food sovereignty, and human health.
