Business
Group calls for review of GMO approval in Nigeria
A coalition of environmental, agricultural, and civil society organisations has urged the Nigerian government to put on hold new approvals of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the country.
It is also asking the government to conduct an independent review of existing approvals, citing concerns over biosafety, public health, biodiversity, and farmers’ rights.
The group made the call in a communiqué issued at the end of the National Conference on Biosafety and Agroecology held on Monday in Abuja.
The conference, attended by the representatives of federal ministries, regulators, farmers, researchers, civil society organisations, and legal practitioners, among others, reviewed the increasing approval and commercialisation of genetically modified crops in Nigeria, including Bt Cowpea, TELA Maize and recently registered transgenic cotton varieties.
Participants raised concerns about the implications of GMOs for biosafety, environmental protection, food sovereignty, public health and farmers’ rights, the communiqué said.
They similarly urged the federal government to place a moratorium on new GMO approvals pending independent, long-term and peer-reviewed assessments, including feeding trials, environmental impact assessments and social impact studies.
An independent review of existing approvals to ensure compliance with the National Biosafety Management Act (NBMA) and the precautionary principle also featured in their demands.
Other recommendations included bolstering public agricultural research and extension services, protecting indigenous seed systems, supporting community seed banks, phasing out highly hazardous pesticides and increasing investment in agroecological research and training.
GM concerns in Nigeria
The adoption of GM crops has remained contentious among food system experts in Nigeria, creating two divides. GM proponents argue that the technology can help scale up food production and boost food security. Critics, however, fear the technology could trigger environmental and health risks, and have expressed worries about weak regulatory enforcement and inadequate labelling.
According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, more than 30 major food crops have been genetically modified globally.
Nigeria has approved four crops—maize, cowpea, cotton, and soybean—for commercialisation and is among the six African countries leading in biotech crop adoption.
In 2024, the government approved four varieties of Tela maize, further intensifying debates over GM crop safety and transparency.
Farmers’ limited knowledge of GM seed characteristics, potential dependence on seed companies, and the broader impact on traditional farming systems have been identified among the downsides.
An investigation by PREMIUM TIMES and international partners in 2024 laid bare how the U.S. government, through the now-defunct USAID, funded pesticide and GM-related advocacy campaigns in Nigeria, including efforts that profiled critics of GMOs.
In March, the National Biosafety Management Agency ordered the suspension of four new transgenic cotton hybrid varieties in Nigeria.
The varieties are MIC 561 BGII, MIC 563 BGII, BIOSEED-FIYAH CH1001, and BIOSEED-FIYAH CH1002. They were allegedly registered by the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock Breeds and Fisheries on 26 March 2026 without the requisite approval of NBMA.
The agency said its regulatory surveillance and compliance-monitoring mechanisms identified “serious compliance abnormalities” in the varieties.
The suspension of the new cotton varieties underscores ongoing challenges around biosafety compliance and regulatory oversight in Nigeria’s biotechnology sector.
READ ALSO: GMOs: Experts accuse Nigeria’s biosafety regulator of not being transparent
Concerns over food security approach
The conference noted that Nigeria’s food security challenges require “holistic, people-centred and sustainable solutions” rather than sole dependence on technological interventions.
Participants also raised concerns about biodiversity loss, genetic contamination of indigenous seed varieties, monoculture farming systems, dependence on pesticides and the absence of sufficient long-term ecological studies on GM crops.
The communiqué stated that proprietary seed systems could undermine farmers’ rights to save, exchange and improve seeds, with implications for rural livelihoods and local food systems.
It further observed that existing biosafety governance frameworks require greater transparency, accountability, scientific rigour and meaningful public participation.
The conference spotlighted the far-reaching consequences of continued use of hazardous pesticides, warning that they constitute risks to human health, biodiversity, soil fertility and water resources.
It endorsed agroecology as a viable pathway to sustainable agriculture, noting that it has demonstrated the potential to improve soil health, biodiversity, climate resilience and farmers’ livelihoods.
Participants said structural barriers, including limited access to land, finance, information and technology, continue to affect farmers, particularly women and young people.
In their conclusion, participants remarked that ecological sustainability, food sovereignty, public accountability, social justice and the well-being of present and future generations should guide Nigeria’s food and agricultural policies.
The Federal Government seeks to deploy Nigeria’s digital identity infrastructure to track mining operators, strengthen regulation, and curb illegal mining nationwide.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, disclosed that when he received the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and her management team during a courtesy visit to the ministry in Abuja.
The meeting explored areas for collaboration between the ministry and NIMC to integrate digital identity into the solid minerals sector, improving governance, regulatory compliance, and monitoring of mining operations.
A statement issued on Sunday by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Lara Owoeye-Wise, said that both institutions are working to leverage technology and credible identity systems to support ongoing reforms in the sector.
Mr Alake described NIMC as a critical institution in Nigeria’s governance architecture, noting that effective regulation and national planning increasingly depend on reliable identity management and accurate data.
“NIMC occupies a critical position in translating policy into reality. It is pivotal to the development of any nation because governance today is driven by data, technology, and credible identity systems,” the minister said.
Tracking mining operators
Mr Alake said integrating digital identity into the mining sector would enable government agencies to properly identify operators, monitor mining activities, and distinguish legitimate licence holders from illegal miners.
According to him, effective identity management is essential to strengthening enforcement and tackling insecurity associated with illegal mining.
“Without identification, we cannot trace; we cannot track, and insecurity will flourish. In the solid minerals sector, we need effective tracking of both legal and illegal operations,” he said.
He added, “A credible identity ecosystem will strengthen regulation, improve enforcement, and support our efforts to sanitise the sector.”
He said technology, digital identity, data gathering, and statistics have become indispensable tools for evidence-based policymaking, efficient licensing, investment promotion, and improved oversight of mining operations.
The minister also noted that access to credible and verifiable data would enable government institutions to understand activities across the mining value chain better and formulate policies that support the sector’s sustainable development.
NIMC proposes deeper collaboration
Speaking during the meeting, Ms Coker-Odusote said the recently enacted NIMC Act 2026 has strengthened the legal framework for Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem and created new opportunities for collaboration with government institutions.
She said integrating NIMC’s digital identity infrastructure into the mining sector would improve interagency data integration, strengthen regulatory compliance, and enhance security.
According to her, the collaboration would also improve monitoring of mining operators, support law enforcement, and facilitate the implementation of Community Development Agreements between mining companies and host communities.
She added that a robust digital identity system would improve transparency, strengthen service delivery, and enable more efficient data sharing across government agencies.
“The commission’s infrastructure can support the creation of a more reliable identity ecosystem for the mining sector, helping regulators verify operators and improve monitoring across the country,” she said.
Reforms target illegal mining
The initiative forms part of the Federal Government’s broader reforms aimed at sanitising Nigeria’s solid minerals sector, which continues to face challenges, including illegal mining, insecurity, environmental degradation, and weak regulatory oversight.
READ ALSO: Nigeria will be big player in global supply of critical minerals – Dele Alake
Authorities have repeatedly identified illegal mining as one of the biggest obstacles to unlocking the sector’s economic potential, with criminal networks and unlicensed operators exploiting mineral resources while depriving the government of revenue.
PREMIUM TIMES recently reported that the Federal Government arrested two suspected illegal miners and shut down an illegal site in Osun State as part of an intensified nationwide enforcement campaign. During the operation, Mining Marshals confiscated equipment and sealed the site, while the suspects assisted investigators in identifying financiers of the illegal activities.
The minister had said that the Mining Marshals arrested more than 300 suspected illegal miners nationwide, with over 150 suspects, including foreign nationals, currently facing prosecution. Several illegal mining sites have also been closed as part of efforts to restore order to the sector.
The Tinubu administration has also introduced reforms to attract responsible investment into mining, improve transparency, strengthen licensing procedures, and ensure Nigeria derives greater economic benefits from its vast mineral resources.
The Nigerian stock market added N622 billion to investors’ wealth during the week, as market capitalisation rose by 0.39 per cent to close at N157.057 trillion.
This is in spite of a 0.14 per cent decline in the Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX) All-Share Index to 243,462.13 points.
The market opened the week with a capitalisation of N156.445 trillion and an All-Share Index of 243,798.76 points.
Sectoral performance was largely positive, with all other indices closing higher except the NGX Main Board, NGX Consumer Goods, NGX Oil and Gas, NGX Lotus II, NGX Industrial Goods, NGX Growth and NGX Sovereign Bond indices.
These declined by 1.54 per cent, 0.15 per cent, 0.11 per cent, 0.40 per cent, 6.26 per cent, 0.09 per cent and 0.33 per cent, respectively, while the NGX Commodity Index closed flat.
Trading activity weakened during the week as investors traded 2.819 billion shares valued at N182.499 billion in 226,729 deals.
This is compared with 3.648 billion shares worth N220.568 billion exchanged in 251,861 deals in the preceding week.
The Financial Services Industry dominated market activity with 2.006 billion shares valued at N99.697 billion traded in 96,171 deals, accounting for 71.17 per cent of total equity volume and 54.63 per cent of total value traded.
The Consumer Goods Industry followed with 178.863 million shares worth N7.872 billion in 26,637 deals, while the Oil and Gas Industry recorded 151.237 million shares valued at N38.309 billion in 16,879 deals.
The three most-traded equities by volume were First Holdco Plc, FCMB Group Plc and Access Holdings Plc, which jointly accounted for 939.402 million shares worth N57.673 billion in 19,051 deals.
The trio contributed 33.33 per cent of total traded volume and 31.60 per cent of total traded value.
Market breadth weakened during the week as 44 equities advanced, down from 60 in the previous week, while 35 equities declined compared with 28 recorded previously.
A total of 67 equities closed unchanged, higher than 58 in the preceding week.
Leading the gainers’ chart for the week were First Holdco, Thomas Wyatt Nigeria, Fidelity Bank, Learn Africa and United Bank for Africa, which appreciated by N26.75, 66 kobo, N2.85, N1.30 and N4.50, respectively.
READ ALSO: Nigerian stock market ends week with N3.2 trillion gain for investors
On the losers’ table, BUA Cement, Red Star Express, International Energy Insurance, C&I Leasing and PZ Cussons Nigeria recorded the steepest declines, shedding N64.60, N4.55, 84 kobo, 85 kobo and N9.05 respectively.
Meanwhile, the NGX notified trading licence holders that 13.812 billion additional ordinary shares of 50 kobo each of Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc were admitted to its Daily Official List on 16 July, further boosting the company’s issued share capital.
(NAN)
-
News3 days agoWAFCON 2026: Oshoala Wants Bigger Crowds, Charges CAF on Awareness as Super Falcons Chase Record 11th African Title in Morocco
-
News3 days ago
Plateau sets 2027 agenda for improved healthcare delivery
-
News3 days ago
2027: Why we endorsed Tinubu – APGA
-
News3 days ago
Why the first GPU financiers are turning to inference chips in a $400 million deal
