From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

Public Health experts and food sovereignty activists have called on the Nigerian Government  to halt the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) into the Nigerian food system as their use deprive Nigerians the right to safe food for better life and better future according to this year’s World Food day theme.

This call was made during an online event organised by Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) on Wednesday 16th October 2024 to highlight the implications of modern agricultural biotechnology on the rights of consumers, farmers and of our environment as well as other implications on our food system.

While moderating the event, Joyce Brown, Public Health Expert and HOMEF’s Director of Programme noted that the theme of the World Food Day is so apt and urged the Federal Government to critically review its decisions regarding the use of GMOs in our food system through the human rights lens.

Brown noted that the majority of the Nigerian population rejects GMOs due to their economic, environment and health implications; and the government’s continued approval of permits for these products outrightly tramples on the rights of the people.

Speaking further on the issue of rights, the Deputy Director at Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Mariann Bassey-Orovwuje, noted that “our socio-economic system doesn’t support the right of consumers to choose as labeling is not effective and consumers can’t tell which products are genetically modified or not by their physical characteristics. Our markets are not designed in ways to differentiate between organic foods and GMOs.”

On the right to information, Dr Segun Adebayo, Deputy Director of the Centre for Food Safety and Agricultural Research, highlighted that the processes of GMOs approval in Nigeria is flawed. He added: “It is not sufficient to announce notification of applications on the website of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) – which many people do not know exists, in their office or in two national dailies.

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” The composition of the board of the NBMA – with the presence of key promoters of GMOs including the National Biotechnology Development and Research Agency – and other flaws in the biosafety regulatory system in Nigeria necessitate an urgent review of the NBMA Act.

Dr. Ifeanyi Casmir, a Molecular Biologist also speaking at the event noted that GMOs directly disrupt the rights of peoples to a safe environment which we depend on for food. “Studies have revealed that GMOs designed to resist 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 added”

Speaking on the sustain-able, just and healthy alternatives for our food system, Lovelyn Ejim, a farmer and women farmer group leader urged the Nigerian Government to focus on Agroecology which uses ecosystem principles in the management of agriculture systems thereby ensuring optimum and sustain-able food productivity while addressing social and economic barriers in food production.

She stressed on the need to support the setup of markets for organic products and to focus on achieving food sovereignty through increasing support for smallholder farmers.