The current state of affairs with Nigeria and GMO – Part 2

Continued from yesterday

However, it is instructive to note that the BT cotton application submitted or rather recycled in Nigeria by Monsanto is a replica of the BT Cotton application that it had submitted in Malawi in 2014. That application in Malawi was opposed on scientific, legal and socio-economic grounds. That application has not been approved at the time of this writing.

As regards the safety of their product, we quote two statements, one from Monsanto and the other from FDA and leave the public to read between the lines.
Philip Angell, Monsanto’s director of corporate communications said: “Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food. Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA’s job.”

For the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA): “Ultimately, it is the food producer who is responsible for assuring safety.”

When Monsanto and FDA make statements like these, it becomes very clear that the people’s interest and wellbeing have been completely disregarded in the name of profit.
In the words of David Schubert, Professor and Head of Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory at the Salk Institute of Biological Studies, La Jolla, California;
“One thing that surprised us is that U.S. regulators rely almost exclusively on information provided by the biotech crop developer, and those data are not published in journals or subjected to peer review… The picture that emerges from our study of US regulation of GM foods is a rubber stamp ‘approval process’ designed to increase public confidence in, but not ensure the safety of, genetically engineered foods.”

This is exactly what is happening in Nigeria today. Unfortunately for the Nigerian citizenry, we have a so-called “regulatory agency” that disrespects the voices of the people, ignores national interests and blatantly promotes the interests of bio-tech corporations.

The relationship between National Bio-safety Agency (NBMA), National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) and Monsanto is rife with conflict of interest against the Nigerian people. How is it that the regulated is so influential on the regulator? The evidence in leaked Wiki-leaks cables is clear. How can we have NBMA sit on the Board of NBDA, be a co-applicant with Monsanto and then sit to approve the application? This is clear evidence of a corrupt system, which the Nigerian citizen is supposed to entrust not only their health and wellbeing but also the food sovereignty of our staple crops.

Despite Monsanto’s claims that glyphosate is safe, French Minister for Health, Marisol Touraine has said that France will ban glyphosate . According to her “the studies we have show it’s an endocrine disruptor.”

Six of the eight countries that make up the G8 have put bans in place in relation to the commercial cultivation of GMOs with Russia going as far as passing a law that aims to treat anyone that brings GMOs into the country as a terrorist.

Our agricultural systems, eating habits and cultural requirements are not the same as those of Americans, for example, and bringing these crops into our country will expose us to unimaginable health impacts.

We would also be closing ourselves to our largest export market which is Europe. This is mainly because of the growing list of countries that have banned GMO cultivation, such as six from the G8, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, Italy, the United Kingdom and in the Europe Union, Austria, Belgium for the Wallonia region, Britain for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia.

Finally, we ask, are we so stupid that a genetically modified crop, Bt Cotton, that just failed in neighbouring Burkina Faso (and the farmers are making claims from Monsanto) is what we are opening our country to? Are we having regulators or GMO traders making decisions over our destiny?

Monsanto should note that it’s We the People of Nigeria, not Corporations and agrochemical Companies that will dictate the food system we want.

Concluded
Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour is the convener of Nigerians against GMO (N.A.G) and he writes from Lagos