Human rights lawyer Jeremiah Babaleye has urged the Federal Government to resist moves that would make Nigerian farmers dependent on patented genetically modified (GMO) seeds controlled by foreign corporations.
While noting he is not opposed to GMO science itself, Babaleye stressed that “patenting seeds and forcing farmers to buy them every year instead of replanting from their harvest creates a dangerous cycle of dependency, undermines seed sovereignty, and threatens food security.”
He warned that foreign-funded patented seeds could displace Nigeria’s indigenous varieties, reduce biodiversity, and degrade soil health — effects already reported by farmers in other countries. “We cannot let corporate profit dictate our food system,” he said, calling the practice “against the spirit of the 1999 Constitution, which prioritises the welfare of Nigerians.”
Babaleye commended the House of Representatives for suspending new GMO approvals pending investigation and called for:
“A moratorium on GMO seed introductions until independent, transparent investigations are completed.
“Mandatory labelling of GMO products so Nigerians can choose what they eat.
“Investment in local research at universities and public institutes, free from foreign control.
“Legal protections for farmers’ rights to save and reuse seeds.
“The issue is not science — it is sovereignty, ethics, and the right of Nigerians to control what they grow and eat,” Babaleye said.
“We must not surrender our agriculture to the dictates of foreign seed patents.”
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