By Joseph Kingston, Calabar
Non-governmental organisations, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) and Peace Point Development Foundation, operating under the umbrella of GMO-Free Nigeria Alliance, have protested and written to President Muhammadu Buhari to ban all genetically modified crops in the country.
Protesters carried placard with inscriptions such as ‘Stop the contamination, ban GMOs now,’ Nigerians say No to GMOs,’ Review NBMA law now,’ No to GMOs, Yes to Life,’ amongst others.
The protest ended at the Cross River state Ministry of Environment, where the group presented a letter to that effect to be passed through the State governor, Ben Ayade, to President Buhari. The letter was received by Mr Ayuk Nyam, who stood in for the Commissioner, Mfon Bassey
The letter, which was sighted by our reporter in Calabar, and titled ‘Urgent Need to Ban Genetically Modified Crops in Nigeria and Repeal the National Biosafety Management Agency Act, enumerated the ills of GMOs to consumers.
Signed by Nnimmo Bassey, Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation and Umo Isua-Ikoh, Coordinator, Peace Point Development Foundation, the letter said Nigeria’s agricultural systems were being threatened by the unrestrained release of genetically modified organisms into the country.
It read in part, “GMOs are products of genetic engineering which is a technology that allows scientists to create plants, animals and micro-organisms by manipulating genes at the cellular level in a way that is not possible via traditional or natural processes.
“It allows DNA from one type of organism to be introduced into another related or unrelated species. Nigerians are consuming foods bought from the market shelves without any idea that they are made from the genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The manner in which these items are imported into the country calls for serious concern.
“Although the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has said illegal importation of GMOs into the country is being checked, these products are abundant in our market shelves as revealed by a survey which we carried out across major Nigerian cities between 2018 and 2020.
“Our 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 our agriculture or destroy local economies and foods.
“Majority of Nigerians are not aware of these GMOs in our food system and the toxic chemicals that some of them are engineered to withstand while killing everything else. Many are not aware of their implications on human and environmental health and on the livelihood of small-scale farmers.”