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By Joel Anekwe
The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), a non-governmental organisation, has warned Nigerians against the dangers of approvals and consumption of commodities and products that have been genetically modified, also known as GMOs.
This is because of their negative health, economic, cultural and environmental implementations as there are evidence to show that they increase health challenges in humans and the environment.
HOMEF called on all government ministries, departments and agencies whose duties are incidental to regulation of environment, biodiversity, genetic materials and bio-safety to be involved in approving the activities of genetically modified organisms, GMOs, in Nigeria.
It explained that application of GMOs is not a silver bullet to solve the problems of food shortage and climate change in the country but would rather create a death zone from the contamination of the soil and ground water.
Dr. Ifeanyi Casmir, a Molecular biologist, University of Abuja speaking at the training expressed doubt on the involvement of National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) in the field trial of GMO crops in the country.
He said; “I don’t know how far NESREA has been involved in all the approvals they have given for the field trial of HT corn in Nigeria, for the field trial of BT cotton in Nigeria, the field trial of modified cowpeas and the field trials of all the modifications of cassava that took place in Umuahia, Abia State and IITA Ibadan, Oyo State”.
“The way we have turned the Nigeria Biosafety Management Agency as a one-stop shop for confirmation of field trials and approval for dumping of GMOs in Nigeria leaves much to be desired”, he stressed.
Casmir who is also a scientist, supporting some research by HOMEF, said that genetically modified organism is the altering of the DNA of a living organism plant or animal to give a desired result, and warned that GMO is about seed restrictions and not seed saving, adding that it is a bad experience and could lead to diseases.
He alleged that the main motivation behind promotion of GMO is more about profit and power, noting that the programme is being promoted by just four companies which are monopolising over 60 percent of power to control commodities in the country.
“GMO is about the commodity, industrialisation and extrivitism. Most of the crops they grow such as cotton seed is to feed animals, the maize for biofuels, canola among others, so we must preserve our natural seeds.
“A data report from Food and Agriculture Organisation FAO said that the whole world is being fed by the efforts of the small holder farmers, and this is true.
“When you want to use chemical to kill weeds and pest in your maize farm, you modify the corn by inserting an organism before planting, then pour a chemical or herbicides on the farm, the corn will not die but the biosystem, ecosystems, the soil and the environment are destroyed.
He called on farmers to stop the indiscriminate use of chemicals because the chemical runoff finds their way into the water bodies and create death zones which destroys aqua-culture and lives under the water.
Casmir called on the Seed Council of Nigeria and the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria to set up seed bank, as it is done globally, that would help the country not to lose it’s traditional seed or germ plasma to GMOs.
Earlier in his speech, Mr. Nnimmo Bassey, the director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation, said that the issue of food safety, biosafety and biosecurity remain of great concern to the entire country.
Bassey stated that over 30 per cent of food produced currently in the country by small holder farmers was wasted and used in feeding animals and machines.
“Our small holder farmers need to be supported by government by providing means of transporting the produces from local communities to cities and countries to strengthen our economy and recover from the impact of Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are not supposed to be scared by hearing that the population is 10 billion, therefore we will not have food to feed them. People are not hungry because there’s not enough food in the world, there’s enough food to feed the world twice. A lot of food produced go West, especially the industries”.
He regretted that small scale farmers are the most hungry people in the world even though they are the ones feeding the world, adding that people are hungry because they do not have access to food.
“We are also calling on the government through Central Banks and ministry of Agriculture to draw programmes that will lend strength and resources to our small holder farmers in the country,
Bassey also urged government to have more multiplicity of regulation triggered and also add other agencies under the federal ministry of Health whose mandate borders on the activities in the laboratory to be part of those that approve the application of GMOs in the country.
