The Report
As reported by Premium Times, a coalition of environmental, agricultural, and civil society organisations has called on the Nigerian government to halt new approvals of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and conduct an independent review of existing ones. The demand was made in a communiqué issued at the National Conference on Biosafety and Agroecology held in Abuja.
The conference, which included representatives from federal ministries, regulators, farmers, researchers, and legal practitioners, reviewed the commercialisation of Bt Cowpea, TELA Maize, and recently registered transgenic cotton varieties. Participants raised concerns over biosafety, public health, biodiversity, and farmers’ rights, urging a moratorium pending independent, long-term, peer-reviewed assessments, including feeding trials and environmental impact studies.
The communiqué also called for bolstering public agricultural research, protecting indigenous seed systems, phasing out hazardous pesticides, and increasing investment in agroecology. The coalition highlighted that Nigeria’s food security challenges require holistic, people-centred solutions rather than sole reliance on technological interventions.
GM concerns in Nigeria
Nigeria Time News Analysis
From a Nigerian policy perspective, this coalition’s demands represent a significant escalation in the ongoing national debate over agricultural biotechnology. The call for a moratorium directly challenges the government’s current trajectory, which has positioned Nigeria as a leader in biotech crop adoption in Africa, with four major crops—maize, cowpea, cotton, and soybean—already approved for commercialisation. The timing is critical: in 2024, the government approved four varieties of TELA maize, intensifying public scrutiny.
The coalition’s emphasis on the precautionary principle and independent review reflects growing distrust in the regulatory framework, particularly the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA). This distrust was amplified by the NBMA’s own suspension of four transgenic cotton varieties in March 2025 due to “serious compliance abnormalities,” as reported by Premium Times. That incident exposed gaps in inter-agency coordination and raised questions about the integrity of the approval process.
Economically, the stakes are high. Proponents argue that GMOs can boost yields and reduce pesticide use, critical for a country facing severe food insecurity. However, critics warn that proprietary seed systems could undermine the livelihoods of smallholder farmers—who constitute the majority of Nigeria’s agricultural workforce—by restricting their traditional rights to save, exchange, and improve seeds. This tension between technological modernisation and agrarian sovereignty is not unique to Nigeria but resonates across West Africa, where similar debates are unfolding in Ghana and Burkina Faso.
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From a governance standpoint, the coalition’s call for greater transparency and public participation in biosafety decisions highlights a systemic weakness: the perception that regulatory processes are opaque and influenced by external actors. A 2024 investigation by Premium Times and international partners revealed that the U.S. government, through USAID, funded advocacy campaigns that profiled GMO critics. This revelation has fuelled suspicions that Nigeria’s biotech push is not entirely homegrown, raising sovereignty concerns.
For the Nigerian diaspora, particularly those involved in agribusiness and food supply chains, this debate has direct implications. Many diaspora investors are eyeing Nigeria’s agricultural sector as a growth frontier. A protracted regulatory standoff could deter investment, while a poorly managed rollout could lead to market disruptions or reputational damage for Nigerian agricultural exports.
Concerns over food security approach
Regional Context
Nigeria’s GMO policy is being closely watched across the ECOWAS region. As one of the six African countries leading in biotech crop adoption, Nigeria’s regulatory decisions often set precedents for neighbours. The coalition’s demands echo similar movements in Kenya and Ethiopia, where civil society groups have successfully delayed GMO approvals through legal challenges. If Nigeria’s government accedes to a moratorium, it could embolden anti-GMO campaigns across West Africa, potentially stalling the continent’s broader push for agricultural biotechnology as a tool for climate resilience and food security.
Original Reporting By: Premium Times