Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to look into the disturbing issues of genetically modified organism(GMO) seedlings in the country’s agricultural system.
The body in its media release, signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Justice Faloye, commends the recent intervention by the lower chamber of the National Assembly, following a bill introduced by representive of Ilorin West/Asa federal constituency in Kwara State, Muktar Shagaya, urging that all GMO introductions be suspended pending the completion of a comprehensive investigation by the House Committee on Agricultural Production and Services, and the publication of the findings.
Afenifere urged the FG to critically look into farmers’ rights and collective rights of self-preservation, stating that the government must protect farmers’ rights and collective. It revealed that all GMO seeds are patented, thereby permanently making farmers dependent on the producers of such seeds.
“There are farmlands now permanently adapted to the GMO seeds, preventing the farmers the free choice of going back to their original organic seeds as witnessed in some Nigerian farmlands. The copyrighting of seeds is a monumental development that threatens the long-term sustainability of Nigeria.
“There is a frightening prospect of seed or food colonization by a few international biotech companies, and even if the GMO seeds producers were Nigerians, there is the fundamental ethical issue of ‘patenting life’ and concentrating power of life and death in hands of few businesses, or even agencies, that would be more powerful than the government and subject our popular sovereignty with food blackmail.
“In 2015, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) identified glyphosate, the world’s most commonly used herbicide, as a probable cancer-causing agent. Bayer- Monsanto, the primary manufacturer of glyphosate and genetically modified products resistant to glyphosate, has announced plans to introduce 40 varieties into Nigeria.
Afenifere noted that it is against any business venture that would permanently rob farmers and consumers of their freedom of choice to plant as they wish and people’s rights of self-preservation to or not to choose whether to risk GMO foods.
The body demands that all copyrights be removed from any foreign GMO seed seller in Nigeria, and the labelling of all GMO foods. Second, if GMO seeds are to be continued, the federal government has the responsibility of building an incorruptible efficiently equipped framework to protect the country’s long-term sustainability, adding that there must be comprehensive transparent studies that are internationally registered and available to all stakeholders and researchers.
