1 week ago
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ABUJA – Policy experts and players in the agriculture sector have criticised what they termed as the growing influence of foreign corporations and non-state actors in Nigeria’s food systems.
They cautioned that reliance on imported technologies such as Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and poorly regulated policies could undermine the nation’s food sovereignty, security and public health.
At a press conference in Abuja, to register their displeasures, the experts drawn from the Centre for Food Safety and Agricultural Research (CEFSAR), the Centre for African Policy Research and Advisory (CAPRA) and Project Sprint urged immediate policy reforms to safeguard Nigeria’s food future.
CEFSAR’s Deputy Director, Segun Adebayo observed that Nigeria’s food sovereignty is not just about security but remains non-negotiable with any foreign actors.
Adebayo likened Nigeria’s reliance on foreign entities to outsourcing household food security to a hostile neighbour and criticised policies that favour foreign ownership in agriculture, arguing they have left Nigeria vulnerable to neo-colonial exploitation.
He cautioned that GMO seeds, engineered to become sterile after two harvests, create dependency.
“Allowing foreign actors undue influence in our food systems is like inviting a visitor who gradually takes over your home; if foreign corporations control our seeds, they can dictate terms for Nigeria; we must audit our policies and prioritise food sovereignty,” he noted.
CAPRA Ambassador, Michael Nwabufo also warned against the adoption of GMO seeds, stating that they threaten the DNA and food sovereignty of future generations.
Nwabufo outlined dangers such as unintended mutations, cancer risks, and immune reactions, just as he alleged foreign entities pushing harmful agendas.
He criticised misplaced public focus on social media scandals while foreigners seized Nigeria’s food systems and urged Nigerians to plant what they eat.
Nwabufo said, “NGOs are promoting GMOs, but I trust President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima to reject this, if our food is controlled by outsiders, they’ll decide whether we eat or starve, my team will uproot GMO crops and replace them with God-given seeds.”
Another policy expert, Country Director of Project Sprint, Israel James, framed food insecurity as a national security threat, linking inflation and farmer killings to “coordinated economic warfare.”
James urged investigations into gene-edited seeds developed by foreign-owned technology and NGOs funding GMOs.
He cited Zimbabwe’s struggles post-GMO adoption and warned Nigeria could face worse, even GMO monopolies.
“If we don’t secure our food basket regions, foreign actors will control our government through hunger”, James said.
The experts were united in calling for urgent action such as food policy review and laws enabling foreign agricultural dominance, GMO ban and investment in indigenous seed systems as well as scrutiny of foreign donations tied to GMO advocacy.
English (US) ·