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HOMEF, CAPPA Seek Review of GMO Approvals, Advocate Agroecology as Nigeria’s Food Security Path
HOMEF, CAPPA Seek Review of GMO Approvals, Advocate Agroecology as Nigeria’s Food Security Path
By: Michael Mike
Civil society organisations have intensified calls for a review of genetically modified organism (GMO) approvals in Nigeria, urging the federal government to adopt agroecology as a cornerstone of the country’s food security strategy amid growing concerns over food sovereignty, public health and environmental sustainability.
The call was made during a media training on Biodiversity and Agroecology in Nigeria themed “Nigeria’s Food Future,”organised by the Home of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) and its partners, where participants challenged the increasing adoption of genetically modified crops and called for stronger biosafety oversight.
Executive Director of HOMEF, Nnimmo Bassey, warned against what he described as the growing influence of multinational corporations on Nigeria’s agricultural system, arguing that the country’s food future should remain in the hands of local farmers.
According to him, smallholder farmers account for more than 80 per cent of food production in Nigeria, yet face mounting pressure from proprietary seed systems and corporate-controlled agricultural technologies.
“Smallholder farmers produce more than 80 per cent of the food consumed in Nigeria, yet there are strong vested interests trying to increase dependency on patented seeds and corporate-controlled technology. This is why we describe it as food colonialism,” Bassey said.
He also questioned the effectiveness of Nigeria’s biosafety governance framework, expressing concerns about transparency and accountability in the approval of genetically modified crops.
“The question is, who is really in charge? If another agency can approve GMOs outside the established regulatory process, where are we in terms of biosafety?” he asked.
Bassey maintained that agroecology, which emphasises biodiversity, ecological balance and indigenous farming knowledge, offers a sustainable pathway to food security while protecting local ecosystems and rural livelihoods.
Public health expert, Dr. Ifeanyi Casmir, urged policymakers to broaden the national conversation beyond food availability to include food safety and food sovereignty.
“Food security is just one leg of the tripod. You must also look at food safety and food sovereignty. If, because of one leg of the tripod, you jettison the other two, then there are very germane reasons for us to be circumspect about genetically modified crops in Nigeria,” he said.
Casmir argued that genetic modification can alter the composition of crops and potentially introduce proteins capable of triggering allergic reactions in some consumers.
He also warned that increasing reliance on proprietary seed systems could undermine the role of smallholder farmers and weaken local food systems.
“If you take away control and make access to seeds very difficult and cost-prohibitive, you have destroyed our food system. Smallholder farmers are the people who feed the world, and they must not be pushed aside through proprietary control of staple crops,” he said.
On the environmental and health implications of agricultural chemicals, Casmir expressed concerns about the use of herbicides and pesticides associated with some GMO farming systems, noting that chemical residues could find their way into the food chain.
Executive Director of the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, Akinbode Oluwafemi, called on the government to apply the precautionary principle in decisions relating to genetically modified crops.
“There have been global concerns about the health implications of genetically modified organisms across the world, and many countries are taking precautionary steps. We do not want the Nigerian government to open our food system to issues of concern,” he said.
Oluwafemi stressed the need to safeguard indigenous seeds and traditional farming systems, arguing that food production is closely linked to culture, identity and national heritage.
“Local farmers are responsible for over 80 per cent of the food we consume in Nigeria. There is an attempt to take over our food chain and food system by corporations outside our shores. It rests on the Nigerian people and government to protect our food environment, our indigenous seeds and our indigenous crops,” he said.
Presenting a communiqué issued at the end of the training, Associate Director of CAPPA, Ogunlade Olamide Martins, said participants resolved to campaign for a comprehensive review of GMO approvals and biosafety regulations in Nigeria.
According to him, stakeholders called for greater transparency, public participation and independent scientific assessments in all biosafety-related decisions.
“Participants resolved to advocate for a comprehensive review of GMO approvals and biosafety governance measures in Nigeria, while promoting transparency, public participation and independent risk assessment in all biosafety decision-making processes,” Martins said.
The communiqué further called on the government to suspend new GMO approvals pending independent, long-term and peer-reviewed assessments covering feeding trials, environmental impacts, performance evaluations and social consequences.
Participants also urged authorities to strengthen legal protections for farmers’ rights to save, exchange and reuse indigenous seeds while increasing public investment in agroecological research, innovation and farmer training programmes.
In her closing remarks, HOMEF Programme Director, Joyce Brown, said Nigeria was at a defining moment in determining how it would address food insecurity and climate change.
“We seem to be at a crossroads in Nigeria and largely in Africa as to which pathway we need to take in responding to food insecurity and climate change challenges. There are efforts towards promoting agroecology, while some actors are strongly pushing GMOs. We are advocating for a concrete decision. We can’t be on the fence and we can’t be both ways,” she said.
The advocacy groups maintained that while food production must increase to meet the needs of a growing population, such efforts should not come at the expense of biodiversity conservation, farmers’ rights and long-term environmental sustainability.
HOMEF, CAPPA Seek Review of GMO Approvals, Advocate Agroecology as Nigeria’s Food Security Path
Tegbe Unveils Reform Blueprint, Demands Shared Responsibility to Fix Nigeria’s Power Sector
By: Michael Mike
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has unveiled a comprehensive action plan aimed at stabilising and transforming Nigeria’s electricity sector, insisting that meaningful reform will only succeed if every stakeholder in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) accepts collective responsibility for addressing the country’s longstanding power challenges.
Speaking at the second quarterly Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) Stakeholders’ Meeting convened by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in Abuja, Tegbe outlined a reform agenda centred on transparency, accountability, infrastructure protection and improved market governance.
The meeting, chaired by Dr. Musiliu Oseni, Chairman of NERC, brought together key industry players, including electricity generation companies (GenCos), distribution companies (DisCos), the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), regulators and policymakers. Also in attendance were the Special Adviser to the President on Power, Rilwan Lanre Babalola, and the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Power, Mahmuda Mamman.
Delivering the keynote address, the minister stressed that Nigeria’s electricity crisis was a shared challenge requiring collective ownership across the entire power value chain.
“Nigeria’s power crisis was not built by one hand, and it will not be fixed by one hand,” Tegbe declared, urging operators, regulators and government institutions to work collaboratively in delivering sustainable reforms.
A major plank of the minister’s agenda is the protection of electricity infrastructure. He called for power installations across the country to be formally designated as Critical National Assets, warning that vandalism, grid sabotage and electricity theft amount to economic sabotage with direct consequences for millions of Nigerians.
According to him, safeguarding existing infrastructure must go hand in hand with improving operational efficiency. He disclosed that the ministry is already addressing transmission bottlenecks, strengthening spinning reserves and upgrading priority substation protection systems to improve grid stability and reliability.
On electricity metering and tariff reforms, Tegbe said estimated billing had unfairly burdened consumers for years while concealing inefficiencies within the sector. He explained that the ministry is accelerating nationwide metering deployment to eliminate estimated billing and reduce Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC&C) losses.
The minister added that government is also developing a sustainable tariff transition framework that would shield vulnerable consumers from excessive cost increases while providing investors with the confidence and certainty required to commit long-term capital to the sector.
Addressing market governance, Tegbe maintained that tariff reforms could only achieve their objectives if all market participants complied with payment obligations. He called for greater transparency in the calculation of Derived Remittance Obligations (DRO), insisting that confidence in the electricity market depends on openness and credible financial reporting.
“Trust in the market begins with trust in the numbers,” he said.
As part of efforts to deepen accountability, the minister announced plans to publish key performance indicators (KPIs) and performance scorecards for electricity generation and distribution companies, enabling Nigerians to assess the performance of operators across the sector.
He reaffirmed his commitment to three guiding principles—transparency, speed and accountability.
According to him, the Ministry of Power will operate without hidden agendas, remove bureaucratic bottlenecks that delay reforms and ensure that individuals or organisations whose actions undermine the sector are held accountable.
“Reform is not a promise deferred,” Tegbe said. “It is a discipline being executed, every day.”
Tegbe Unveils Reform Blueprint, Demands Shared Responsibility to Fix Nigeria’s Power Sector
News
NDLEA Takes Custody of 6.8 Tonnes of Canadian Loud Seized at Lagos Port, Vows Crackdown on Drug Syndicates
NDLEA Takes Custody of 6.8 Tonnes of Canadian Loud Seized at Lagos Port, Vows Crackdown on Drug Syndicates
By:Michael Mike
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has formally taken custody of 6,778.5 kilogrammes (about 6.8 tonnes) of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, intercepted at the Apapa Port in Lagos in what authorities describe as one of Nigeria’s biggest anti-narcotics seizures in recent years.
The seizure, made during joint examinations of two shipping containers by operatives of the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other security agencies, is being hailed as a major breakthrough in the fight against transnational drug trafficking and a testament to growing inter-agency and international intelligence cooperation.
Speaking during the formal handover ceremony at Apapa Port on Wednesday, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), represented by the Director of Seaport Operations, ACGN Ibinabo Archie-Abia, said the operation sends a strong warning to international drug cartels that Nigeria is closing its borders to illicit narcotics.
“Through two major seizures recorded on June 15 and June 24, 2026, we send a clear and unequivocal message that we are more determined than ever to dismantle organised criminal syndicates and drug trafficking networks operating within and beyond our borders,” Marwa declared.
The seizure followed months of intelligence-driven investigations led by the NDLEA’s Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit, working closely with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Nigeria Customs Service.
According to Marwa, the traffickers employed sophisticated maritime routes spanning multiple continents in an attempt to evade law enforcement, but NDLEA operatives successfully tracked the consignments from Canada to Nigeria.
He explained that the first container, CAAU 7569127, departed Toronto on April 16, 2026, travelled by rail to Montreal before being loaded onto the vessel Ghallow Express. It was later trans-shipped at Tangier Med, Morocco, onto Spartel Trader, arriving at Tin Can Island Port before being moved through the Global Bonded Terminal and eventually to Apapa Port, where it was intercepted on June 10 during a joint examination.
The second container, HAMU 3246311, departed Montreal on May 1 aboard Africa Express, was later trans-shipped onto Algeciras Express, arrived at Tin Can Island Port on June 4 and was transferred to Apapa Port on June 22, where NDLEA officers were waiting.
Marwa stressed that the agency’s strategy goes beyond intercepting illicit consignments, warning that investigators would pursue the financiers and beneficiaries behind the trafficking networks.
“We recognise that the staggering profits generated by illicit drug trafficking continue to fuel crimes against humanity and against our nation despite the devastating toll they take on individuals, families and communities.
“Our work does not end with seizure. We are committed to identifying, arresting and prosecuting those responsible, confiscating their criminal assets, and ensuring they derive no benefit whatsoever from their illegal enterprise,” he said.
The NDLEA boss also commended the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies for what he described as exemplary professionalism and collaboration.
“I commend, in the strongest terms, the dedication, professionalism and courage of the officers and men of the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and all sister security agencies who refused to look away and allow these dangerous substances to flood our communities.
“This success was made possible by intelligence-sharing and operational synergy among all participating agencies. It is a powerful demonstration of what inter-agency collaboration, international cooperation and intelligence-driven operations can achieve in the fight against transnational organised crime and illicit drug trafficking,” he added.
The latest seizure represents another significant milestone in the NDLEA’s intensified campaign against drug trafficking under Marwa’s leadership, as the agency continues to strengthen partnerships with international law enforcement organisations and deploy intelligence-led operations to intercept illicit drugs before they enter Nigerian communities.
NDLEA Takes Custody of 6.8 Tonnes of Canadian Loud Seized at Lagos Port, Vows Crackdown on Drug Syndicates
Angwa Rukuba Killings: Court To Rule On Jurisdiction, As Suspects Remain In DSS Custody
By: Zagazola Makama
The Plateau State High Court sitting in Jos, on Wednesday, reserved ruling on a preliminary objection on jurisdiction filed by counsel to some suspects arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS), and standing trial for their roles in the Angwa Rukuba massacre of late March and early April of 2026.
At the resumed trial on Wednesday, the Plateau State Director of Civil Litigation, Sabo Longji, told the court that two of the defendants filed a notice of preliminary objection challenging the the court’s jurisdiction, praying the court to strike out the case against them.
The prosecution, however, told the court presided over by Justice Gedeliah Fwomyon, that it filed a counter-affidavit dated June 29, 2026, which had been served on the defendants.
When the defence counsel, led by M. I. Shaba (SAN), M. I. Salihu and S.M Danlami, drew the court’s attention to the fact that the counter affidavit was filed out of time, the prosecution made a fresh application for extension of time, which the court granted.
The judge adjourned the matter to 2nd July 2026 to hear the motion, while the substantive matter was adjourned to 15th July, 2026.
The defendants are to remain in the custody of the DSS.
On Palm Sunday of 2026, a number of gunmen attacked Angwa Rukuba in Jos North LGA of the state, killing about 30 persons. Days later, the DSS arrested Adamu Isa Alhassan, Isa Umar Ibrahim, Auwalu Abubakar aka Auwalu Dogo, and Musa Abubakar Ibrahim aka Yaroro.
The Plateau State government charged the four suspects alongside one Ado Ibrahim, said to be at large, with criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, illegal possession of firearms, and illegally dealing in arms and ammunition.
Angwa Rukuba Killings: Court To Rule On Jurisdiction, As Suspects Remain In DSS Custody
Tegbe Unveils Reform Blueprint, Demands Shared Responsibility to Fix Nigeria’s Power Sector
NDLEA Takes Custody of 6.8 Tonnes of Canadian Loud Seized at Lagos Port, Vows Crackdown on Drug Syndicates
Three Killed, Two Injured in Attack by Fulani Bandits Near Illegal Mining Site in Plateau
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