The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare says it will introduce stricter regulatory measures on genetically modified (GM) crops to ensure transparency and safeguard public health.
Director of Food and Drug Services, Mr. John Atanda, disclosed this during a sensitisation workshop on GMOs for directorate officers organised by the Open Forum for Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Abuja.
Atanda explained that the ministry would enforce mandatory labelling, traceability, and compliance with safety standards for GM products. He added that the directorate would work with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Biotechnology Management Agency (NBMA) to strengthen monitoring and enforcement.
He reaffirmed government’s commitment to protecting consumers, noting that all biotechnology-derived products would undergo rigorous safety assessments, including allergenicity, nutritional composition, long-term health impacts, and environmental effects, before approval.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Rose Gidado, Country Director of OFAB Nigeria, emphasised that GM crops have been safely used in more than 45 countries for over three decades. She argued that GMOs are based on evidence-driven research and warned that without investment in biotechnology, Nigeria risks becoming overly reliant on food imports.
“The government cannot give poison to its people. If the story is that when you plant GMOs, it will destroy all the crops around it, then Nigeria should have died of hunger,” she said.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Biotechnology Development and Research Agency (NABDA), Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, said farmers cultivating GM maize, known as TELLA Maize, have recorded yield increases of up to 50 per cent.
He added that research on pod borer-resistant cowpea has shown strong economic benefits, as reduced use of insecticides has translated into higher productivity and profits for farmers.
