The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) and 11 other organisations have called on the Federal Government to conduct an independent, transparent, and science-based review of all approvals granted for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Nigeria.
Demands for Review and Moratorium
The groups specifically demanded a review of the commercial release of Bt Cowpea, TELA Maize, and transgenic cotton varieties to ensure compliance with the National Biosafety Management Act and the Precautionary Principle. They urged the government to place a moratorium on new GMO approvals pending independent, long-term, and peer-reviewed assessments, including feeding trials, performance evaluations, and environmental and social impact studies.
Conference Communique
The demand was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the National Conference on Biosafety and Agroecology held in Abuja on June 8. The conference, convened by HOMEF in collaboration with Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, the GMO-Free Nigeria Alliance, and other partners, brought together representatives of government agencies, farmers, researchers, civil society organisations, legal practitioners, youth groups, traditional institutions, and the media.
Participants expressed concerns over the growing approvals and commercialisation of genetically modified crops in Nigeria, including Bt Cowpea, TELA Maize, and recently registered transgenic cotton varieties. They argued that existing biosafety governance frameworks require greater transparency, accountability, independence, scientific rigour, and meaningful public participation.
Call for Policy Reforms
The stakeholders also called for a critical review of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) Act to address perceived gaps and strengthen transparency, accountability, and public disclosure of biosafety risk assessment data and decision-making processes. The communiqué emphasized that farmers' rights to save, exchange, and reuse indigenous seeds should be protected through support for community seed banks, farmer-managed seed systems, and local breeding initiatives.
The conference further called on the government to apply the precautionary principle in biosafety decision-making and develop a roadmap for the gradual phase-out of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs). They advocated greater recognition of agroecology as a key pillar of Nigeria's agricultural transformation agenda, urging increased investment in agroecological research, innovation, training, and extension services. They also demanded independent long-term studies on the environmental, socio-economic, and public health impacts of GMOs and associated chemical inputs.
Observations and Resolutions
Among the observations highlighted at the conference were concerns over biodiversity loss, genetic contamination of indigenous seeds, monoculture farming, pesticide dependence, and the lack of sufficient long-term ecological studies on genetically modified crops. The participants maintained that Nigeria's food security challenges require holistic, people-centred, and sustainable solutions beyond technological interventions alone.
They further noted that highly hazardous pesticides continue to pose risks to human health, biodiversity, soil fertility, and water resources, while structural barriers continue to limit access to land, finance, information, and technology, particularly for women and young people. The conference resolved to advocate a comprehensive review of GMO approvals and biosafety governance mechanisms, promote transparency and independent risk assessments, protect indigenous seed systems, and strengthen public awareness on the environmental, social, economic, and health implications of GMOs and agrochemical use.
Participants reaffirmed that ecological sustainability, food sovereignty, public accountability, social justice, and the protection of future generations must guide Nigeria's food and farming systems. They urged government institutions, policymakers, development partners, and other stakeholders to collaborate in building a resilient, equitable, and sustainable food system that prioritises biodiversity, environmental integrity, and national food security.
