This is the second part of this two-part investigation. You can read the first part here.
From farms to dinner tables
By the end of the 2025 harvest season, TELA maize that farmers grew moved beyond farms and into local grain markets.
To determine whether the genetically modified maize had become part of Nigeria’s food chain, PREMIUM TIMES traced its distribution from farmers to grain traders, flour processors, roasted maize vendors and households across Kano, Kaduna and Niger states.
The investigation found that although TELA maize remains a small share of the maize sold in the markets visited, it is now available to consumers.
In Bichi, Kano State, several farmers who harvested TELA maize said they sold part of their produce directly to grain merchants and local buyers at prevailing market prices.
Bichi Modern Market, where farmers sold their TELA maize after harvest. (PHOTO CREDIT: Mariya Shuaibu Suleiman)
Abdullahi Umar, a maize grain seller at Bichi Modern Market, said he began to buy TELA maize from farmers after the 2025 harvest.
He said the grains were whiter and cleaner than some conventional varieties and produced more flour when processed.
“The demand has been very good. People keep asking for it because it produces more flour and makes good Tuwo,” he said
Abdullahi Umar, a maize grain seller, sold Tela Maize grains at Bichi Modern Market. (PHOTO CREDIT: Mariya Shuaibu Suleiman)
He said he sold TELA maize for about ₦950 per mudu (a measure of about 2.4 kg of maize in Kano), compared with ₦900 per mudu for conventional maize, a difference of ₦50.
“For me, I sell good maize,” he said. “Customers come back because they like the quality.”
Umar explained that he rarely told customers the maize was TELA maize because most were more concerned about its quality and price.
PREMIUM TIMES observed similar trading of TELA maize at Paiko Grain Market in Paikoro, Niger State, and the Giwa Grain Market around the Zaria axis of Kaduna State.
TELA maize distribution through these markets meant that the crop was no longer limited to farms or demonstration plots. It was becoming part of the food chain through ordinary commercial channels.
The maize was also processed into flour.
Ibrahim Yau, a maize flour processor in Bichi, Kano State, said he bought TELA maize from a friend who is a farmer after the 2025 harvest.
He said four mudu of TELA maize produced almost an additional mudu of flour compared with the conventional maize he was used to processing.
He said he sold the flour at the same price as other maize flour and noticed that some customers returned to buy more.
“When we grind TELA maize, the flour is much more,” Yau said.
TELA maize flour. (PHOTO CREDIT: Mariya Shuaibu Suleiman)
He said he planned to buy more TELA maize grains once it becomes available this year.
Like other grain traders, Yau said he did not tell customers that the maize was TELA maize.
Comparison of TELA maize flour and conventional maize flour. (PHOTO CREDIT: Mariya Shuaibu Suleiman)
The investigation also found that households consumed TELA maize and used it in various food preparations, including tuwo (swallow), pap, porridge, grits, roasted corn, and boiled corn.
Hauwa Bello, a mother in Niger State with a household of nine, said a neighbour gave her about ten mudus of TELA maize.
She said the maize produced more flour and required little to prepare swallow for her family, unlike conventional maize flour.
TELA maize swallow. (PHOTO CREDIT: Mariya Shuaibu Suleiman).
In Kaduna, Binta Mamuda said her family had begun to include TELA maize from her harvest in their meals, using it to prepare tuwo and porridge. Also, Tamatu Idi in Kano said her household had consumed the maize in different forms.
“We eat it as grits, tuwo and pap,” she said.
Comparison of TELA maize swallow and conventional maize swallow. (PHOTO CREDIT: Mariya Shuaibu Suleiman)
But while some rural households had become familiar with the TELA maize through farmers and neighbours, consumers interviewed in urban markets were largely unaware that it was being sold to them.
PREMIUM TIMES interviewed ten consumers each at Bichi Modern Market in Kano State, Giwa Grain Market around the Zaria axis of Kaduna State, and Paiko Grain Market in Paikoro, Niger State. The consumers were interviewed within the respective urban centres, rather than in surrounding rural communities and villages where the maize is cultivated.
A Chart showing that none of the 30 consumers interviewed across Kano, Kaduna and Niger could identify TELA maize. (CREDIT: Mariya Shuaibu Suleiman)
None of the 30 consumers interviewed could confidently identify TELA maize or tell whether the maize they were buying was TELA or conventional.
The finding reflects the wider information gap observed during the investigation. Most consumers said traders never told them whether the maize they bought was TELA or conventional.
A few had heard about genetically modified crops through social media, but none could confidently identify TELA maize in the marketplace.
PREMIUM TIMES interviewed Maryam Shuaibu, a consumer in Kaduna who regularly buys maize for her family. She said she once bought grains that looked different from what she normally bought but could not identify the variety.
“The seller never told me what type it was. I just assumed it was the usual conventional maize that I used to buy because I don’t even know what TELA maize is. I can’t even identify it when I see it,” she said.
Adamu Ibrahim in Kano and Akoji James in Niger State also said they mainly considered the price and quality of maize when buying it and were not informed whether the maize was TELA or conventional.
The investigation also found that roadside vendors sold TELA maize as roasted and boiled corn.
Samaila Dauda, a roasted and boiled maize vendor in Kano, said he sold TELA maize several times in 2025 after a farmer in Bichi gave him some.
He said the cobs were larger than those of the conventional maize he normally sold.
He said the larger TELA maize cobs cost about ₦500, compared to conventional maize, which costs ₦200 depending on size.
Conventional Roasted maize. (PHOTO CREDIT: Mariya Shuaibu Suleiman)
He said the higher price meant greater profit. He admitted he did not tell customers the maize was TELA, worried some might refuse to buy it.
While some customers preferred the TELA variety because of its bigger size, Dauda said he thought the conventional maize was sweeter.
Other roasted maize vendors in Kaduna and Niger also said they sourced maize from farmers and sold it to consumers without informing them whether it was TELA or conventional.
For many traders and vendors, TELA was simply another maize variety.
The traders said buyers typically asked only about freshness, sweetness, size, and price rather than whether the maize was TELA or conventional.
That raised a central question in the investigation: Who ensures that consumers receive vital information about what they purchase?
What does the law say about labelling?
PREMIUM TIMES asked the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), which identifies as the lead agency responsible for GMO labelling in Nigeria under the NBMA Act 2015 (as amended) and the National Biosafety (Labelling) Regulations 2017.
Hauwa Tahir Ahmed, the agency’s Director of Biosafety Enforcement and Operations, said Part XI of the regulations sets out procedures for GMO labelling to promote consumer choice and traceability.
Section 2(e) of the Act also empowers the agency to provide measures for effective public participation, public awareness and access to information on the use and application of modern biotechnology and genetically modified organisms.
However, she explained that the agency is still working with agencies such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) and Nigeria Customs Service to develop detailed operational guidelines for implementing the labelling requirements.
The agency said the guidelines would supplement the existing regulations and the Act and would be validated for full operationalisation.
Ahmed added that the agency was finalising the guidelines and would make them public when completed.
“When the guidelines are concluded, they will be made public,” she said.
PREMIUM TIMES also contacted NAFDAC for its input on implementing GMO labelling in the country’s food regulatory system. But NAFDAC did not respond at the time of writing.
Although the Nigerian regulator maintains that approved GMO crops are safe for human consumption, consumer advocates argue that safety does not remove consumers’ right to know what they are buying.
That principle is also reflected in the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018 (FCCPC), Section 114, which mandates that information must be provided or displayed to consumers in a prescribed form or, where no form is prescribed, in plain language. Section 116 of the Act specifically addresses product labelling and trade descriptions, including information that could mislead consumers.
On Aug. 19 2026, the FCCPC said deceptive, incomplete or misleading product labelling violates consumers’ right to information required to make informed purchasing decisions.
What does science say?
While farmers interviewed for this investigation largely praised TELA maize for reducing pest attacks and improving yields, the safe consumption and regulation of genetically modified foods remains part of the wider debate.
Supporters of TELA maize interviewed for this investigation argue that biotechnology can improve food security, reduce pesticide use and strengthen farmers’ resilience to climate change. Critics, however, continue to call for greater transparency, independent research and monitoring of possible long-term effects.
Sabo Ahmed, a medical doctor and Professor of Physiology at the University of Jos, said the Bt gene contained in TELA maize produces proteins that target destructive insects such as fall armyworm and stem borers.
He explained that the proteins affect specific insects because of differences in their digestive systems, but existing studies have not demonstrated harmful effects in humans.
“The understanding is that humans digest these proteins differently, which is why existing studies have not shown harmful effects,” he said.
Ahmed said continued research and monitoring were nevertheless important as the technology expanded. He also said consumers should be able to make informed choices about the food they eat.
“If someone prefers conventional food, they should be able to identify it. If another person is comfortable with genetically modified food, that should also be their choice.”
Bernice Apemiye, a global health nutritionist, similarly said available evidence has not established a nutritional disadvantage associated with approved TELA maize.
“There is currently no scientifically proven nutritional difference between TELA maize and conventional maize.”
Apemiye, however, agreed that consumers should have access to information about what they consume, particularly through proper labelling and public awareness.
The experts’ assessments align with the position of the Nigerian regulators, who said the genetically modified crops underwent safety assessments before commercial approval. Meanwhile, the NBMA explained that post-release monitoring forms part of the conditions attached to the approval of genetically modified crops.
Critics call for greater transparency
Not everyone is convinced that the regulatory process and public communication around GMOs are sufficient.
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), an advocacy group opposed to the expansion of GMOs, said it remains cautious about TELA maize. It cited concerns about possible long-term health and environmental effects, biodiversity, seed costs and farmers’ dependence on commercial seed suppliers.
Its Associate Director, Ogunlade Martins, called for greater transparency, clearer food labelling, public engagement and independent research as adoption expands.
However, Martins acknowledged that CAPPA had not conducted independent laboratory research on TELA maize. He said the organisation’s position was based on its advocacy and policy engagement as well as feedback from farmers around Kuje and Gwagwalada in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
PREMIUM TIMES asked CAPPA to show documented evidence supporting the health concerns it raised, and requested to be connected with the affected farmers for independent verification. Despite follow-up requests, the organisation did not provide evidence or facilitate the requested contacts before publication.
Regulators insist the crop is safe
Nigerian regulators maintain that TELA maize underwent years of scientific assessment before commercial release and that its safety monitoring continues after approval.
Ahmed, the Director of Biosafety Enforcement and Operations of the NBMA, said post-release monitoring remains part of the approval conditions, and the IAR said it continues to track field performance, environmental interactions, farmer feedback and compliance with stewardship requirements.
“No scientifically verified health risks have been reported so far,” said Yahaya, the plant breeder and geneticist at the IAR.
Moreover, in August 2025, NAFDAC Director-General Mojisola Adeyeye reaffirmed that genetically modified foods approved through Nigeria’s regulatory system are safe for consumption when established safety protocols are followed.
What PREMIUM TIMES found
The investigation found that:
* TELA maize has moved beyond farms and is already entering local food markets through grain traders, flour processors and roadside food vendors.
* Farmers interviewed reported lower losses from fall armyworm, reduced pesticide use and higher yields compared with conventional maize. However, many identified seed cost and unavailability as major barriers to adoption.
* Grain traders, flour processors and roasted maize vendors said they sold or processed TELA maize based on its perceived quality and consumer demand, but rarely informed buyers that it was genetically modified.
* Consumers interviewed across Kano, Kaduna and Niger states were largely unaware that TELA maize had been introduced into the local markets and had no reliable method of identifying whether the maize they bought was genetically modified.
* Scientists, nutrition experts and regulators interviewed found no verified scientific evidence linking approved TELA maize to health problems among consumers.
* Critics called for greater transparency, public awareness and continued independent research on GMO safety for consumers. However, they provided no evidence during this investigation that TELA maize is dangerous for human consumption.
* Although there are regulations in Nigeria that guide GMO labelling, the NBMA stated that detailed operational guidelines for implementing food labelling are still being finalised with relevant agencies.
* The investigation found no evidence supporting widely circulated claims that TELA maize causes health problems, destroys soil fertility or prevents farmers from cultivating other crops after harvest. Several farmers successfully planted other crops on the same land after harvesting TELA maize and reported no health concerns after consuming the maize.
However, for farmers such as Abdullahi Muhammad in Kano, the discussion is often practical rather than ideological. To them, genetically modified crops resist pests, reduce pesticide use, and promise better harvests despite climate change.
However, as regulators focus on scientific assessments they say demonstrate TELA maize’s safety, consumers like Hauwa Saminu become sceptical about what they buy.
Hauwa Saminu, at the market. (PHOTO CREDIT: Mariya Shuaibu Suleiman)
Back in the market, standing near a maize grains seller to buy maize for her family’s next meal, Saminu still has no way of knowing whether the grains she is about to buy are conventional maize or Nigeria’s first genetically modified variety.
“There is no way I can know whether it is ordinary maize or not. There is no label on it, and the sellers do not tell you what type of maize it is when you want to buy,” Saminu told PREMIUM TIMES.
Her experience captures the information gap at the centre of Nigeria’s growing TELA maize market: the crop is reaching consumers, but many of them do not know what they are buying.
This reporting was completed with the support of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) under the SAIL+ Programme Fellowship.