Farmers and civil society groups in Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State have intensified calls for a nationwide ban on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), citing growing fears over their impact on human health, soil quality, and Nigeria’s agricultural independence.
The demand was made during a sensitization and training workshop jointly arranged by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), the Peace Point Development Foundation (PPDF) and the Bakassi Returning IDP Community Association (IDPCA). While advocating safer, organic farming options, the programme aimed to educate rural farmers on the health and environmental hazards linked with GMOs.
The project aims to empower farmers with information on the results of GMO dependency and to motivate Back to traditional farming techniques. She stressed that dependence on genetically altered seeds weakens local food sources and leaves farmers at the mercy of global seed companies. Brown pointed out that research on long-term GMO use has connected it to chronic diseases including liver and kidney damage, immunological diseases, and some malignancies.
The News Chronicle gathered that several farmers in Bakassi have begun reporting soil degradation linked to the prolonged use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. One of them, Asuquo Okon, Youth Coordinator of the Bakassi Returning IDP Community Association, recounted how his farmland lost fertility after two consecutive years of using synthetic inputs.
Coordinator of the Peace Point Development Foundation, Umo Isua-Ikoh, faulted NAFDAC’s inconsistency in its stance on GMOs, arguing that the agency’s shifting position creates confusion and undermines public confidence. He maintained that Nigeria’s food crisis stems more from insecurity and limited access to arable land than from low crop yields.
Leader of the Bakassi Legislative Council, Grace Bassey, welcomed the training and pledged local legislative support for a petition demanding the prohibition of GMO products. HOMEF confirmed that similar sensitization campaigns have been conducted in Edo, Enugu, and Kano States, with plans to expand further across Cross River State.
