By Chukwudi Obasi, Abuja
The House of Representatives has been urged to prohibit the use and consumption of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the country to protect the environment and citizens’ health.
92 African Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) made the call at a public hearing on GMOs yesterday organised by the House Joint Committees on Agricultural Production and Services, Privatisation, Commercialisation, Public Asset, Science Engineering, and Special Duties.
The coalition, which was led by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), said that the rising cases of cancer and other related illnesses are traceable to the use and consumption of GMOs.
In a document presented to the Committee by Ms Joyce Brown, Director of Programmes (HOMEF), the coalition said GMOs are products of genetic engineering, a technology that allows scientists to create plants, animals, and microorganisms by manipulating genes at the cellular level in a way that is not possible through traditional or natural processes.
According to them, DNA from one type of organism can be introduced into another related or unrelated species; genetic manipulation is also done within a single organism.
They said that the campaign against GMOs is particularly against genetic modification of food crops and animals and any other genetic modification that will alter ecosystem balance, negatively impact agriculture, and destroy the local economy and foods.
The CSOs said 19 European Union countries, four Asian countries, two African countries, and five American countries have banned GMOs.
They said up to 64 countries require manufacturers to label foods with GMOs as an increasing number of people worldwide choose to eat organic and non-GMO products.
“It is noteworthy that nearly all studies that claim GMOs are safe are funded by the very biotechnology corporations that produce and/or profit from GMO sales.
“Several studies have linked the consumption of GMOs to a myriad of diseases, including antibiotic resistance. The commercially approved BT Cowpea expresses an enzyme that confers resistance to antibiotics: neomycin phosphotransferase II (NPTII).
“Multiple animal studies show significant immune dysregulation, including upregulation of cytokines (protein molecules involved in immune responses) associated with asthma, allergy, and inflammation.”
“Studies have also shown that DNA molecules ingested in food can affect animals that eat them. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) of plants were biologically active, affecting gene expression and the functioning of important processes in the body in the blood of humans and animals that had eaten them. Zhang et al., 2012.
“Multiple toxins from GMOs have been detected in 93 percent maternal and 80 percent fetal blood, including non-pregnant women’s blood. (Aris and Leblanc, 2011; Woźniak et al., 2018).
“These toxins designed to kill crop pests are reaching humans and babies in the womb and could lead to allergies, miscarriage, and cancer (Poulter, 2011),” they said.
The coalition explained that GMOs directly affect biodiversity, saying that over 80 percent of GMOs are designed to be herbicide-tolerant.
According to them, this has significantly increased the use of herbicides in the US; for example, it is necessary to say that these herbicides are produced by the same companies that produce genetically modified seeds.
They said that herbicides destroy not only the target weeds but also non-target organisms that are essential for soil health and overall ecosystem function.
“These chemicals can also run off to contaminate drinking groundwater and surface water, including drinking water sources.
“There is also the severe threat of irreversible genetic contamination due to cross-pollination, which could also lead to the production of uncontrollable and mutated plant varieties,” they said.
The CSOs argued that farmers give GM seed to plants, and extension workers have complained that although GMOs may perform well in the first planting season, their productivity drastically declines in the second planting season.
They explained that farmers cannot replant these seeds but must continuously purchase them every new season.
“This signifies an attempt at seed colonialism and loss of our heritage – forcing our farmers and, by extension, consumers to depend on primarily foreign corporations for seed.
“GMOs do not improve yields. On September 23, the National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN) reported that they “did not record any significant increase in their yields compared to the local seed varieties, but instead, since the introduction of GM cotton seeds during the 2020/2021 farming season, yield per hectare has remained almost the same.
“The worrying aspect is where the cotton farmers reported that no other plant has been able to germinate on the farmlands where the GM seeds were planted, even after four years.
“The farm where we planted the GM seeds can no longer germinate our local seeds. The land has been destroyed,” they said.
The coalition said that Nigerian communities and farmers have steadily been ensnared into growing GM crops over the last decade.
They said that research conducted by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation in 2019 concluded that Nigerian farmers need to learn more about GMOs to make informed decisions.
They said farmers given GM seeds to plant are, at best, told that the crops would not require too much spraying and would increase productivity.
“We demand a nullification of all the permits issued for importing and releasing genetically modified maize, beans, cotton, and other sundry products into the country. These permits have been issued without regard for the complaints of millions of Nigerians and without the consent of many.
“A close surveillance of our markets and farms to halt illegal entry of GMOs into Nigeria and our food supply. An outright ban of all toxic agrochemicals, also known as highly hazardous pesticides – especially glyphosate-containing ones identified as probable carcinogens. Studies have shown that over 50 percent of pesticides registered and used by farmers in Nigeria are classified as highly hazardous.
“This is our petition and the concern of millions of Nigerians. We strongly believe that the suggestions in this petition have been considered. It will protect the best interest of the Nigerian people and Africa as a whole,” they said.
Chairman of the House Committee on Agricultural Production and Services, Bello Kaoje, said the issue of GMOs in agriculture is an ongoing global debate with two broad opinions.
He said the committee’s task is to engage with key stakeholders involved in the debates on the appropriateness or otherwise of GMOs.
“Our role as Legislators remains to ensure that governance is carried out transparently for the nation’s greater good. We assure all stakeholders that we shall discharge our Constitutional responsibilities to the best of our capacities and for the greater good of our dear nation,” he said.
The coalition includes the Free Nigeria Alliance, Centre for Food Safety and Agricultural Research (CEFSAR), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation for Africa (CAPPA), Women Environmental Programme, and Food and Health Limited.
Others are Nigerians against GMOs, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), the Nigeria Women Farmers Association (NIWAAFA), We the People, and the Association of Women Farmers of Nigeria.
The coalition also includes Women and Youth in Agriculture, Udama Co-operative Farm, Green Alliance Nigeria, Women and Children Life Advancement Initiative, the Young Environmentalist Network (TYEN), Peace Point Action, and the Social Action Committee on Vital Environmental Resources (COVER).
