NGO WARNS AGAINST GMOS IN NIGERIA’S FARMING, CALLS FOR SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS TO FOOD INSECURITY

The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) says bringing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) into Nigerian farming is not the answer to the country’s food insecurity. Speaking at a hands-on agro-ecology training in Bakassi, HOMEF’s Joyce Brown stressed that GMOs threaten Nigeria’s food sovereignty since farmers can’t save or reuse GMO seeds and would become dependent on corporations.

Brown pointed out that GMO crops have damaged soils elsewhere, like cotton farmers reporting declining productivity after three years of GMO planting, without better yields than local varieties. She emphasized sustainable solutions like extension services, resolving farmer-herder conflicts, and improving storage to tackle food insecurity.

Umo Isua-Ikoh of Peace Point Development Foundation urged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to join the call for a GMO ban, noting conflicting safety messages in recent years. Local leaders like Grace Bassey pledged to keep GMOs out of Bakassi, while farmers warned that chemical overuse and GMOs might be linked to rising unexplained illnesses in Nigeria.