Dr. Temidayo Oniosun, Founder and Managing Director of Space in Africa, has shared the reasoning behind selecting egusi as the first Nigerian food ingredient sent to space, emphasizing its strong cultural significance.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Friday, Oniosun noted that egusi was chosen over other Nigerian delicacies like ogbono or fisherman soup because of its widespread cultural identity.
“In my view and this is personal egusi stands out as the most culturally symbolic dish in Nigeria,” he said. “Virtually every ethnic group lays claim to it. The Yorubas say it’s theirs, the Igbos too. It’s one dish that resonates deeply with Nigerians and is widely recognized, even in the diaspora and across West Africa.”
Oniosun clarified that the space seed experiment is just the beginning of a larger initiative aimed at exploring Nigerian agriculture in extraterrestrial environments.
“This is the first phase. We’ll be sending more seeds, more local food items to space over time,” he said, addressing those curious about other traditional ingredients.
Responding to a playful question about whether the project intended to feed aliens, Oniosun admitted the possibility couldn’t be ruled out.
“Well, who knows?” he said. “We might bring the seeds back and discover they’ve transformed. That’s the whole point of the experiment to observe and learn.”
On Thursday, egusi seeds made history as the first Nigerian object launched into orbit, hitching a ride aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of NASA’s Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
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