The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) has issued a strong warning about serious conflicts of interest within Nigeria’s biotechnology regulatory system, cautioning that the country’s food security, environment, and public health are at risk due to compromised oversight of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
According to PeacePro, key regulatory bodies tasked with overseeing GMO safety are often staffed by individuals actively promoting biotechnology—sometimes with foreign backing. This overlap, the group argues, undermines regulatory independence and opens the door to corporate and external influence over Nigeria’s food system.
The group did not give a list of the individuals and agencies that are compromised.
However, Mr. Abdulrazaq Hamzat, Executive Director of PeacePro, acknowledged that while biotechnology holds promise in agriculture and healthcare, the global risks associated with GMOs are well documented. He warned that Nigeria’s current regulatory framework is ill-equipped to manage those risks due to a lack of transparency and accountability.
“It is illogical to expect individuals promoting GMOs—particularly those receiving foreign funding—to act as neutral arbiters of their safety,” Hamzat said. “Biotechnology is too critical to Nigeria’s future to be overseen by conflicted regulators.”
Hamzat highlighted threats such as ecological degradation, loss of indigenous seed sovereignty, corporate monopolies in agriculture, and potential health hazards. He noted that unlike countries such as India and Brazil, which maintain clear separation between promoters and regulators, Nigeria continues to conflate the two roles—leaving its biosafety system vulnerable.
PeacePro is calling for urgent reforms, including:
▪︎Separation of promotional and regulatory mandates
▪︎Greater public participation in biosafety decisions
▪︎Stronger legislative oversight
▪︎Investment in independent, local scientific research
Hamzat concluded that Nigeria faces a pivotal choice: reform its biosafety governance to safeguard its people and environment or risk long-term harm from short-term technological promises.
