News

World Food Safety Day: CSOs Demand Total Ban On GMOs

Published

3 months ago

June 11, 2025

Civil society organisations have called in the Federal Government to place a moratorium or total ban on the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and their products in Nigeria.

The call was jointly made by Health of Mother Earth Foundation, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, and the GMO-free Nigeria Alliance during a zoom press briefing as part of activities to mark the 2025 World Food Safety Day which is held 11 June of every year.

Speaking on the sub-topic: Science Needs Caution, the Executive Director, HOMEF, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, stated that a moratorium on GMOs, including a nullification of previous permits and approvals, was critical because GMOs are designed not to address food insecurity but to consolidate control of the food and farming system in the hands of a few corporations/seed industries.

Bassey, who raised the alarm that there is a calculated attack on Nigeria’s food sovereignty, said those who promote GMO do not care about people’s health rather all they are interested in is the profit.

The ED, while noting that the idea behind GMOs is not to solve the problem of hunger, said GMOs are tools of colonialism and aimed at promoting monoculture.

“When you bring in a system that destroys biodiversity, what you are promoting is hunger. Nature has given us crops that are useful to our body, so GMOs do not solve the problem of hunger” he noted.

He continued: “This is known by the patent rights enforced on the products, which prohibit farmers from saving, sharing or replanting the seeds. Even those without the patent restrictions, when replanted, yield poorly.

“This is a calculated attack on Nigeria’s food sovereignty and must be seen as such.

“Seed saving and sharing is an age-long culture in Nigeria, where farming is about 80% informal, with farmers being able to select and improve seeds using traditional methods and being able to exchange the same.

“It is worthy of note that the Cotton Farmers’ Association of Nigeria in 2024 noted that in about 3 years since they were given the Bt Cotton to plant, they haven’t recorded any significant increase in yields compared to the indigenous varieties; instead they have observed that their soils become unproductive after they planted the genetically modified cotton” Dr Bassey explained.

Also speaking on the sub-topic: ‘Undeniable Dangers of GMO, Dr. Ifeanyi Casimir, a molecular biologist and researcher, noted that there is no evidence of long-term risk assessment conducted by the government on the health impact of GMOs.

According to him, several studies link theconsumption of GMOs to diverse health disorders, including immune system dysregulation, increased allergic responses, chronic inflammation and organ toxicity, as well as tumour development.

Dr Casmir also noted that studies have found Bt toxins (Cry1Ab) in 93% of pregnant women and 80% of fetal cord blood, raising risks of birth defects, cancer, and allergies.

“The fact that our regulatory agency -the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) cannot show any evidence of independent and extensive risk assessment conducted shows irresponsibility and lack of concern for public health”. He concluded.

Tatfeng Mirabeau, a Professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, who spoke on the sub-topic: Undeniable Risks Associated with GOMs (Health and Environment) noted: “Another critical reason why Nigeria should hold the brakes on GMOs is the impact on the environment. Bt Crops, for example, the Bt beans that were approved for commercial release in 2019 and 2024, respectively, contain proteins that, when released into the soil, destroy soil microorganisms, leading to soil degradation and reduced fertility.

“There have been reported cases of pest resistance leading to the development of super bugs and super weeds in the case of the herbicide-tolerant GMOs, which make up about 80% of all GMOs globally. The herbicides designed mostly by the same companies producing the seeds have been shown by studies to destroy not just the target weeds but also beneficial organisms in the ecosystem, including bees. GMOs pose a critical risk of genetic contamination of indigenous seed varieties owing to gene transfer.

“For this reason, Mexico and a host of other countries have placed a total or partial ban on GMOs. We cannot

overlook such a grave threat to our plant genetic resources especially as such contamination is irreversible.”

Barr. Mariann Bassey-Orovwuje, ERA’s Deputy Executive Director, while speaking on the sub-topic: ‘Regulatory Oversight and Alternative,’ noted that Nigeria, currently does not have a policy on open market labelling and as such, the public does not have the right of choice as to whether or not to consume GMOs.

This, according to her, negates people’s right of choice and the right to safe food.

Barr. Orovwuje further noted that there are fundamental flaws with the current Biosafety Regulatory Agency, stressing that there is no provision on strict liability, which should ensure that the holder of a permit for any GM product takes responsibility for any negative effects that will ensue.

“Another major flaw in the National Biosafety Management Agency Act is the lack of attention to the Precautionary Principle, which simply advises a halt on any process where there are threats to health or environmental impacts from the use of GMOs,” she said.

She continued: “Nigeria needs to critically address waste, which accounts for about 40% of the food produced. In the same vein, Nigeria needs to critically address issues of insecurity/banditry that keep many farmers away from their farms, leading to reduced productivity.”

News

Sanwo-Olu makes U-turn, Unblocks Lawyer Who Sued Him Over Blocking On X

Published

11 hours ago

September 13, 2025

Editor

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has unblocked human rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, on X after a meeting with him at Lagos House, Marina, on Friday.

The lawyer, who had accused the governor of rights violations, announced the development in a post on his X account on Saturday.

According to him, Sanwo-Olu personally invited him for a brief meeting to address his complaints.

“Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has unblocked me on X (Twitter). I met briefly with him yesterday at Lagos House Marina, on his invitation, to amicably resolve my complaint of human rights violations. We will continue to hold authorities accountable, regardless. Aluta continua!” Ogun wrote.

Tribune Online reports that Ogun had earlier filed a suit against Sanwo-Olu at a Federal High Court in Lagos, accusing him of violating his fundamental rights by blocking him on his verified X account.

In the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1739/25, which he shared on Facebook, the lawyer claimed the governor blocked him over his 2021 “constructive criticisms” and “demand for accountability” on the October 2020 #EndSARS killings.

“In 2021, I noticed that the Governor blocked me on his official X handle @jidesanwoolu owing to my constructive criticisms of his policies and demand for accountability in respect of the October 2020 #EndSARS Massacre.”

Ogun said the action has prevented him from accessing vital government updates and information.

“Blocking me on X has prevented me from accessing public updates and receiving information about policies and governance in Lagos, which constitutes a violation of my right to receive information without interference,” he said.

In his originating summons, he asked the court to declare the move unconstitutional, arbitrary, and discriminatory.

News

Tragedy Deepens As Prime Suspect in Taraba Student’s Death Found Dead

Published

11 hours ago

September 13, 2025

Editor

The investigation into the death of Comfort Jimtop, a 100-level Mass Communication student at Taraba State University, has taken a dramatic turn following the discovery of the lifeless body of Emmanuel Kefas, the prime suspect in the case.

Kefas’s body was discovered on Friday in the Tudiri community, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area, under unclear circumstances, intensifying public concern and adding a tragic dimension to a case that has already gripped the university community and residents across Taraba State.

Confirming the development on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Taraba State Police Command, James Lashen, said the police received a report from the village head of Tudiri about the discovery.

“A lifeless body was found in Tudiri, and a Tecno Android phone was recovered beside it,” Lashen stated.

“Upon charging the phone, investigators found a photograph showing the deceased with the late Comfort Jimtop, suggesting they were in a romantic relationship.”

Lashen added that the body has been taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Jalingo for autopsy. At the same time, efforts are ongoing to officially identify the remains through the suspect’s family.

Police have yet to determine whether Kefas’s death was the result of suicide, homicide, or an accident. Investigations into both deaths are continuing.

Comfort Jimtop’s mysterious death had earlier sparked outrage on campus and across the state, with students and rights groups demanding justice. Kefas was named a prime suspect in the case, which remains open.

This latest development has left many unanswered questions and deepened the grief surrounding the case.

Students, residents, and civil society groups are closely monitoring the situation, calling on authorities to ensure a thorough investigation and bring clarity to the tragic chain of events.

News

Ossiomo, Chinese Impasse: This Is Our Story — Management

Published

14 hours ago

September 13, 2025

Editor

The management of Ossiomo Power Plant has cleared the air on the dispute between its Chinese partners and the circumstances surrounding the shutting down of the power plant early this month.

Representative of Ossiomo management, Engineer Festus Evbuomwan, during an interactive session with customers on the impasse between the two partners, said contrary to the rumour making the rounds, the management of Ossiomo Power Plant had paid over ₦2bn to its Chinese partner — Jiangsu Communication Clean Energy Technology (CCETC) — since the power plant started operation.

Recall that representative of CCETC who identified himself as Mr. ‘W’ had, during a telephone phone interview two weeks ago, claimed that “instruction to shutdown was because we lost lots of money and did not get any return on investment,” adding that “all the $20m investment was done by us including the distribution lines.”

But Evbuomwan during the interactive session, said the management was not aware of the $20m investment the Chinese partner claimed, just as he disclosed that “when they generate power, we sell and pay them.”

He disclosed that after shutting down the power plant, the Chinese partners came up with a request of ₦185m to be paid to two Chinese not known to the management, stressing that this was declined.

According to him, the Chinese partner, having seen how lucrative the business is, “went to some quarters and raised some issues probably thinking they can manoeuvre us with the help of some big persons, so that they can use their machines to generate power and sideline us but this is not possible.”

“The Chinese partners also claimed that they borrowed $20m from their native land to invest, we are not aware of such investment, and we do not know where the money was invested up till now.

“They have been also saying they have not been receiving anything, but I want to tell you unequivocally that first, the partners run a joint account where their investment is going into. More so, The Chinese partners have received over ₦2bn so far for the power they generate with their machines. When they generate the power, we sell and pay them.”

Engr. Evbuomwan, while apologising to customers for the power outage caused by the dispute between the two partners, said Ossiomo had started power generation though not in full capacity, assuring that power generation would be fully restored soon.

“We have purchased turbines, and one have started working. They are working on the second one, so, by the time our five turbines start working we will be in full capacity. Even with that, those connected to the government may not be reached immediately. This is because the government bought the poles and contracted the wiring, and we cannot force the government to do our bid. Also, we are making efforts to site 33kva transformer along Airport Road and Lagos Road as soon as possible, so that our customers there will get power.”

He said the Edo State government does not have a stake in the company, just as he appealed to the “government to let us supply power to customers in through their Lines. I want to emphasise that Ossiomo is not completely shut down.”

He further urged the “government to encourage the Nigerian citizens to invest and not to work against local investors.”