HOMEF Hails Nigeria’s Biodiversity Plan, Calls for Stronger GMO Controls

By Oluwakemi Kindness

The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has commended the Federal Government for approving the revised National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2025–2030, describing it as a major step toward safeguarding Nigeria’s environment.

The organisation, however, urged authorities to back the policy with concrete actions, particularly in regulating genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

It notes that Nigeria’s newly endorsed NBSAP aligns with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, aiming to stop and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

The plan outlines 23 national targets mapped against global biodiversity goals and has now been adopted as official policy.

In a statement issued at the weekend by it Media Lead, Kome Odhomor, HOMEF’s Executive Director, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, says the revised strategy demonstrates a positive shift in environmental governance.

“We are especially encouraged by NBSAP’s firm stance on the regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), which aligns with our long-standing advocacy for biosafety and food sovereignty,” he said.

“Unregulated GMO use could be catastrophic to our environment, health, and sustainable development.”

Also speaking, HOMEF’s Director of Programmes, Joyce Brown, notes that the policy’s promotion of traditional plant breeding and non-transgenic biotechnologies “puts power back in the hands of smallholder farmers and local communities.”

HOMEF called on the Federal Government to build on this progress by:

* Stopping further GMO approvals pending a biosafety audit;

* Reviewing the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) Act of 2015 (amended 2019);

* Investing in agroecological approaches;

* Supporting community-led seed systems.

The group stresses that real transformation would depend on implementation and sustained support for indigenous and ecological farming systems.

“This plan must go beyond paper,” says HOMEF’s Media Lead. Kome Odhomor,

“Environmental protection requires bold action, not just policy statements.”

HOMEF reaffirmes its commitment to ensuring Nigeria’s biodiversity remains free from genetic contamination and corporate control.