Coalition urges Lagos Assembly to ban GMOs, cites health, environmental risks

By Chuks Oyema-Aziken

A coalition of scientists, farmers, environmentalists and food sovereignty advocates has urged the Lagos State House of Assembly to ban genetically modified organisms (GMOs), citing potential health risks, environmental concerns and threats to farmers’ rights.

The coalition made the call in a joint position paper submitted during a mass awareness rally in Lagos on Thursday, October 29, 2026. The rally was organised by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Environmental Rights Action (ERA), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Kebetcache Women Development and Resource Centre, and the GMO-Free Nigeria Alliance.

In a statement issued by HOMEF’s Media and Communications Manager, Kome Odhomor, the coalition called for a ban on GMOs, the reversal of previously granted approvals and an extensive investigation into their long-term health and environmental implications. It also urged the government to invest in agroecology and strengthen support for smallholder farmers.

Speaking at the rally, HOMEF’s Director of Programmes, Joyce Brown, said opposition to GMOs was not peculiar to Nigeria, noting that several countries had imposed partial or total restrictions on their cultivation or use.

Brown said concerns about biodiversity were among the major reasons some countries restricted GMOs, adding that Lagos State could lead efforts to protect Nigeria’s food system and environment.

She said the proposed ban would build on a motion moved by the House of Representatives in 2024 seeking the suspension of GMOs and an investigation into approvals already granted.

Also speaking, a molecular biologist and public health policy analyst, Dr. Ifeanyi Casmir, called for a precautionary, transparent and people-centred biotechnology policy, citing concerns about potential allergenic, toxicological, reproductive and ecological risks.

Casmir argued that Nigeria’s food system, ecological diversity and public health were already under pressure, warning that any adverse effects associated with GMOs could be costly and difficult to reverse.

He further cited research reporting the presence of Cry toxins in the blood of pregnant women and umbilical cord blood, raising concerns about potential fetal exposure.

An Associate Director at CAPPA, Olamide Martins, also questioned the country’s biosafety regulatory framework, saying more than 20 products had been approved since 2016 for commercial planting and use in food, feed and processing.

He expressed concern over what he described as the absence of evidence of long-term, independent risk assessments, arguing that the situation raised questions about food safety, environmental protection and national food sovereignty.

Similarly, HOMEF Project Officer, Esele Ojeanelo, warned that corporate control of patented seeds could undermine farmers’ traditional rights to save, reuse and share seeds.

She said Nigeria risked losing control of its indigenous seed varieties and farming systems if farmers became increasingly dependent on multinational corporations for planting materials.

The coalition urged the Lagos State Government to address insecurity preventing farmers from accessing their farms and provide smallholder farmers with improved extension services, infrastructure, better access to land, particularly for women and young people, and improved access to markets.

It also called for increased investment in agroecology, describing it as a nature-based agricultural approach capable of strengthening local economies while promoting food security and food sovereignty.

The statement was endorsed by GMO-Free Nigeria, a coalition comprising more than 70 organisations.

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