The Nigeria Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has reaffirmed its commitment to prioritizing the safety and well-being of Nigerians in the approval and regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) crops.
The agency emphasized that all GMO crops undergo rigorous assessments to ensure they are safe for human health and the environment before being approved for use in Nigeria.
This was stated by the Director General/CEO of the agency, Dr Agnes Asagbra, during an interaction with journalists in Lagos.
She stressed that the agency, which is tasked with providing a regulatory framework for safety measures in the application of modern biotechnology, its use and handling of GMOs in Nigeria, will ensure that only safe biotechnologies are practised in the country.
Hauwa Tahir Ahmed, Acting Director of Biosafety Enforcement and Operations at NBMA, also said the agency remains committed to ensuring proper regulation of modern biotechnology and its products so that approved crops does not cause harm to human health and the environment.
She said, “That’s the integrity, and one thing I’m assuring Nigerians is that we all go to the same market, we are not buying from a different market, and so the public should be assured that anything the NBMA says is safe for humans, animals, plants and the environment.
“Most people don’t understand the technology behind GMO. So, they spread rumour that it causes cancer, that it makes men sterile, poisonous, that it can’t be replanted, that it destroys the bi-diversity and that people can’t plant anything in a field where GMO seeds are grown, which is not true.”
On the insinuation that GMOs are forced on Nigerians, she said: “There is nothing like forcing GMOs down anybody’s throat because GMOs are equal to the conventional ones. The difference is not something that can be physically seen; the gene is just altered and has nothing different from the conventional one. So, it’s safe.”
Addressing concerns that GMOs cause emerging diseases, such as food security, Mr African Farmer Mogaji, argued that new technologies inevitably would bring new challenges and that uninformed opinions often link these to GMOs without scientific evidence.
He called for a science-based approach to the GMO debate and urged Nigerian organisations to conduct and present local research instead of relying on foreign narratives.
He said, “Biotechnology can offer significant benefits, particularly in mitigating the effects of drought, thereby securing both their livelihoods and national food security. Embracing technological advancements in agriculture is progressive, such innovations have been refined over decades and are essential for making Nigeria food secure.”
Mogaji said he was neither fully supportive nor against GMOs but advocated for development, especially considering the challenges Nigeria faces, such as climate change, banditry, and frequent floods.
Program Officer, Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa, Nigeria Chapter, Mr. Isah Abraham, stated that while biotechnology allow scientists to modify crop plants genetically leading to the development of improved varieties with desirable traits, these genetically modified (GM) crops can have increased resistance to pests and diseases, improved tolerance to drought and extreme weather conditions, and enhanced nutritional content, all of which contribute to higher yields and better quality produce.
He added that GM crops also yield more harvests and can help in combatting poverty in the country.
He said, “Disease-resistant crops can also prevent widespread crop losses, ensuring a steady food supply. Through biotechnology, crops can be engineered to have improved nutritional profiles.
“By optimizing the genetic makeup of crops, biotechnology can significantly increase their productivity and yield. This, in turn, leads to more abundant harvests, contributing to food security at the global and local levels.
“More GM and GenED Crops will mean we are more likely to overcome hunger and malnutrition.”