“Egusi is the most cultural dish in Nigeria… I don’t think there is a better dish that says, ‘See, I’m Nigerian,’ than Egusi.” – Dr. Temidayo Oniosun
Dr. Temidayo Oniosun, Founder and Managing Director of Space in Africa, explained why egusi was selected over other Nigerian ingredients such as ogbono or fisherman soup for the recent space seed experiment.
Speaking on Channels TV on Friday, he emphasized cultural symbolism as a primary reason. “Egusi is the most cultural dish in Nigeria,” he noted, pointing out that both Yoruba and Igbo communities claim ownership of the dish, underlining its unifying national identity.
Nigerian egusi seeds were launched into orbit aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of NASA’s Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This marks the first time Nigerian-origin seeds have been sent to space, aiming to test their resilience under space conditions and assess the potential for future space agriculture.
Dr. Oniosun described the egusi seed project as just the beginning of a series of experiments that will include other Nigerian seeds and foods. “We’re going to send more stuff to space in the future,” he said, inviting public curiosity about other dishes to be included.
Responding to whether the seeds might serve to “feed aliens,” Dr. Oniosun said it was a possibility. “Maybe we’ll bring the seeds back and… we’ll plant it and it will germinate something else. We don’t know,” he said, highlighting the exploratory nature of the project. The initiative combines cultural pride with scientific innovation, opening new frontiers for Nigeria in space research.