World Food Day: Experts, Activists task FG on prohibition of GMOs
By Oluwakemi Kindness
Public Health experts and food sovereignty activists on Wednesday, called on the Nigerian Government to stop the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) into the Nigerian food system.
The call was contained in a statement, issued after a virtual meeting by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) to commemorate the 2024 World Food Day by the Communications Lead, Ms Kome Odhomor.
The theme for this year’s World Food Day celebration is “Preserving Agricultural Heritage Around the World.”
The experts emphasised the implications of modern agricultural biotechnology on the rights of consumers, farmers and of the environment as well as other implications on food system.
They argued that the consumption of GMOs was inimical to the ecosystem and deprived Nigerians the right to safe food for a better life.
In her remarks, HOMEF’s Director of Programme, Ms Joyce Brown cautioned the Federal Government of the effects of GMOs.
Brown who is also a public health expert, urged the Federal Government to critically review its decisions regarding the consumption of GMOs through human rights lenses.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Ms Mariann Bassey-Orovwuje, said that Nigeria’s socio-economic system does not support the right of consumers to choose as labeling is not effective.
According to her, consumers cannot tell which products are genetically modified or not by their physical characteristics.
She explained that the Nigerian regular markets are not designed in ways to differentiate between organic foods and GMOs.
In his remarks, the Deputy Director of the Centre for Food Safety and Agricultural Research, Dr Segun Adebayo alleged that the processes that led to the approval of GMOs in Nigeria were flawed.
He argued that it is not sufficient to announce notification of applications on the website of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) or national dailies alone as the information will not get to basic shareholders.
According to him, there is no risk assessment report/documents on the NBMA website indicating that proper due diligence is done before these products are released into the environment.
Adebayo explained that the composition of the board of the NBMA included key promoters of GMOs including the National Biotechnology Development and Research Agency.
He said that the irregularities among other flaws in the biosafety regulatory system in Nigeria, necessitates an urgent review of the NBMA Act.
Similarly, a Molecular Biologist, Dr. Ifeanyi Casmir, said that GMOs directly disrupt the rights of peoples to a safe environment which humanity depend on for food.
“Studies have revealed that GMOs designed to be pest resistance, increase the dependence on synthetic pesticides which destroy non-target organisms including pollinators and soil living organisms, leading to loss of biodiversity and soil degradation.
“This has severe implications on food productivity,” he said.
Mrs Lovelyn Ejim, the leader of a women farmer group, urged the government to focus on and promote agroecology.
She explained that agroecology uses ecosystem principles in the management of agriculture systems thereby assuring optimum and sustain-able food productivity.
Ejim said that the principles of agroecology effectively addresses social and economic barriers in food production.
She stressed the need to support the setup of markets for organic products and to focus on achieving food sovereignty through increasing support for smallholder farmers.
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