By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

Executive Deputy of the Centre for Food Safety and Agricultural Research (CEFSAR), Prof. Qrissturberg Amua, has made a passionate appeal to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajuddeen Abbas, to leave a worthy legacy behind and write their names in gold by legislating against adoption and use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Nigeria.

Prof. Amua, who made the call at a media conference in Abuja, spoke through the Deputy Director of the Centre, Dr. Segun Adebayo.

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Dr. Adebayo advocated immediate policy reforms to safeguard Nigeria’s food-future, noting that the country’s food sovereignty is not just security but remains non-negotiable with any foreign actors.

He likened Nigeria’s reliance on foreign entities to outsourcing household food from a hostile neighbour and criticised policies that favour foreign ownership in agriculture, arguing that they have left Nigeria vulnerable to neo-colonial exploitation.

The CEFSAR Deputy Director warned that GMO seeds, engineered to become sterile after two harvests, create dependency, allow foreign actors undue influence in Nigeria’s food systems, stressing that “it 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.

Dr. Adebayo commended the House of Representatives’ Committee Chairman on Agricultural Production and Services, Hon. Bello Kaoje, for his stands on Nigeria’s Agriculture policy direction, urged him to say no to GMOs, canvass increase in budgetary allocation to the sector so that Nigeria does not depend on foreign donors, who are most likely to threaten the country’s food security.

He also advocated a ban by the federal government on gene editing and protect Nigeria’s biodiversity to guarantee food security.

On his part, Country Director of Project Sprint, Israel James, who also spoke at the press conference, drew the attention of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to gene editing through GMOs, saying it is a war tool that is more powerful than nuclear weapon.

He described food insecurity as a national security threat, linking inflation and the killings of farmers in agricultural hubs such as Plateau, Kaduna, Niger and other states of Nigeria 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 with post-GMO adoption, warning that Nigeria could face worse, even GMOs monopolies.

The Country Director warned that Nigeria must rise to drive its food security through relevant policies, noting that agencies like USAID, OFAB and others should not be allowed to operate unchecked in the country.

“If we don’t secure our food basket regions, foreign actors will control our government through hunger,” he said.