Firdaus Obiremi
Civil society groups, farmers and environmental advocates on Thursday raised the alarm over what they described as a looming assault on Nigeria’s food sovereignty.
The CSO warned that the proposed $2.5bn investment by global meat giant, JBS, could deepen hunger, displace rural communities and erode the livelihoods of smallholder farmers who currently produce 70 per cent of the nation’s food.
The concerns were raised during a sensitisation rally held in Abeokuta as part of the “March for Food Sovereignty and Ecological Justice,” where stakeholders faulted the Federal Government’s support for JBS’ plan to build six industrial meat-processing facilities across multiple states, including a major hub in Ogun.
Programme Manager at the Youth in Agroecology and Restoration Network (YARN), Olawuyi Seyi, warned that the scale of land required for the project is unprecedented and poses grave dangers to rural communities.
“The proposed JBS investment will require an enormous expanse of land. Niger State alone has pledged 1.2 million hectares, which would amount to one of the largest single land grabs by any corporation in Africa,” he said.
“Most of the production will reportedly be exported, not used to feed Nigerians. This is extractive and mirrors colonial-era resource exploitation.”
Seyi cautioned that Nigeria may be walking the path of oil-producing communities that were promised development but ended up with environmental destruction and poverty.
“These companies come with promises, but once they settle, the harm begins. We’ve seen this in the Niger Delta — polluted environments and helpless host communities.”
Deputy Director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Mariann Bassey-Olsson, represented by Adesuwa James Jang, said the JBS deal threatens to wipe out the smallholder farmers who keep Nigeria’s food system alive.
“A corporate-controlled food system is a fundamental threat to our food sovereignty and environmental sustainability,” she said.
“If JBS dominates production, millions of smallholder farmers will be displaced. He who controls your food ultimately controls your future.”
She lamented the lack of transparency surrounding the MoU signed between the Federal Government and JBS.
“We requested the MoU from the Ministry of Livestock. The response has been silence. Nigerians deserve full disclosure. Investment must prioritise people before profit.”
Director of Programmes at HOMEF, Joyce Brown, cited international investigations linking JBS to deforestation in the Amazon, over 70 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, labour abuses and tax violations in other countries.
“Nigeria has no publicly available Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for this $2.5bn project,” Brown said.
“Industrial animal farming is incompatible with Nigeria’s traditional food systems. Once adopted, it threatens farmer autonomy and democratic control over food choices.”
Chairman of the Farmers’ Association, Dr. Okoye, accused the government of sidelining farmers while pursuing multinational interests.
“We are not against investors, but government treats small farmers as invisible,” he said.
“Land acquisition should be temporary and renewable, key ministries must be involved, the MoU must be public, and civil society must sit at the negotiation table.”
He insisted that communities whose lands may be taken must be “properly informed and adequately protected.”
The coalition called on the Federal Government to suspend the MoU with JBS pending an independent Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and a transparent community consultation process.
They further demanded strict regulations for multinational food corporations, including: mandatory environmental safeguards; accountability and compensation mechanisms ; protection against community displacement; inclusion of civil society and local farmers in all decision-making processes.
Civil society groups said a petition would soon be submitted to Federal and State authorities demanding stronger land-use laws, subsidies for farmers, and government support for ecological agriculture.
“This is more than a rally — it is a call to defend the future of food in Nigeria,” the organisers said.
“Food sovereignty cannot be achieved through corporate-controlled systems that create dependency. Communities must control their seeds, land, and food systems.”
Participants pledged continued mobilisation across Ogun State and the country, insisting that Nigeria must choose food sovereignty over corporate capture.
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